The Mysterious Pies
by the consulting marauder
Summary: Remus remembers to take his potion that night in the Prisoner of Azkaban, and as a result Harry goes to live with Sirius. But with a disapproving Dumbledore, Voldemort on the rise, and not to mention getting used to each other, their troubles are far from over.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Hello, all!__ Please review if you enjoy the story!_

_**Disclaimer: If only I was Queen Rowling. *sigh***_

It was almost two in the morning, but Harry couldn't sleep. When he, Ron, and Hermione had returned to the common room earlier that night, Ron had literally fallen on his bed and was snoring within seconds. Harry was sure Hermione was probably also asleep, but she hadn't just discovered that she could possibly be going home with one of her dead parent's friends instead of some relatives that hated her.

Dumbledore and some important looking Ministry officials had escorted Sirius and Wormtail to the Ministry itself for "questioning", but that had been almost three hours ago. If Peter had thought up a wild story as to why he was alive, Harry suspected no one would have any qualms with throwing his godfather back in Azkaban. Harry's stomach turned just thinking about it. He wondered for the thousandth time if the Ministry would let him send letters from wherever he was being questioned. He flipped over in his bed to face the opposite direction for a while when he heard a deep sigh coming from across the room.

"Are you _still_ awake?" came Ron's muffled voice.

"Yeah, sorry," Harry whispered.

There was a moment's silence, and then,

"Stop worrying. He'll be fine."

When Harry didn't reply, Ron sighed again, this time even louder, and Harry could hear him grumbling and the rustling of sheets."He has the evidence," Ron said finally. "He'll get off no problem. You'll see."

"Yeah," Harry muttered. It didn't take long for Ron's snoring to start again. Harry knew he was being irrational; it was like Ron said, if the Ministry had any sense at all, they would realize they made a mistake. But there was always the chance...

Suddenly there was a loud noise from outside, like someone was banging on the window. Neville shot upright in his bed, looking terrified for a moment, then groaned.

"Harry, I think you forgot to let Hedwig in last night."

"Shit!" Harry threw his covers off and ran to open the window for a very angry snowy owl. She immediately dropped the mouse she was carrying onto his feet and hooted indignantly. He supposed she had accidentally ran into the window.

"You're supposed to be at the owlery!" Harry hissed at her, closing the window. Hedwig just blinked at him at flew over to his desk to preen herself. She got like this sometimes; refusing to sleep in the owlery and instead insisting on staying in the dormitory. It wasn't necessarily against the rules, but there was an owlery for a reason, and Harry had the feeling that McGonagall wouldn't be very happy if she discovered he had been letting an owl stay in his dorm. He couldn't say he would blame her; Hedwig often pooped on his bed during many of her stays, and left "gifts" for him as she had just done. She had come tapping on the window last night too, so he supposed he should have been expecting it, but he had completely forgotten.

Harry was overcome with a sudden urge to write a quick letter to Sirius just to see if he would write back... but then he saw that all the commotion seemed to have woken Ron again, and he was glaring at him with eyes barely above the covers, as if telling him not to. Just to prove to him that he wasn't going crazy, Harry ushered Hedwig into her cage so she wouldn't crap everywhere and climbed back into bed. He heard Dean and Seamus tossing and turning in their sleep due to the noise and Neville setting into bed again, then waited a good twenty minutes before slowly sliding his covers off.

Hedwig gave a soft hoot as he tiptoed over to her, and he gave her a look. He silently opened the second drawer of his dresser to get parchment and ink and grabbed the nearest quill. He dipped the feather in ink and placed the tip on the parchment and.. stopped, suddenly at a complete loss of what to say. "_Hey, I was worried maybe they chucked you back in prison so if you're reading this then can you send something back saying that you're not?" _

Dean grunted and rolled over, causing Harry to jump and point the quill at him like it was a wand, then immediately lowering it in slight embarrassment. He turned back to the blank parchment and gnawed on his lip. Maybe Ron was right, and he was being overly paranoid. He was being ridiculous, he should get right back into bed...but he didn't . Instead he put the quill back on the paper and began to write, trying not to make it too awkward.

S_irius,_

_Ron thinks I should wait a little longer to write to you, but I was just wondering how it's been going with the Ministry and if they've reached any decisions yet. I hope they believe you. Well, at least they should if they aren't idiots. Sorry if this seems a little weird. Please write back if you can._

_Harry_

That didn't seem too bad. It was definitely short, but Harry supposed there was nothing else to put. He opened Hedwig's cage as quietly as he could, tied the letter around her leg, and sent her out the window, whispering "Find Sirius and give this to him."

He wasn't sure if she even knew who Sirius was, much less knew where to find him, but when he gave the command she promptly flew off into the night as she always did. It wasn't until he was back in bed that he realized that Ron would see that Hedwig was gone the next morning.

* * *

The next few days passed quite uneventfully. There was no reply from Sirius, but the Daily Prophet was having a field day. Harry had originally thought, when they brought Pettigrew to Dumbledore, that Sirius would immediately be free and everything would be as it was supposed to be. But as it turned out, it seemed that many people still thought Sirius was the culprit. There was one particularly vicious article in the paper a few days after he was brought in that said Wormtail had gone into hiding to save his own life, which was the story Harry supposed he was feeding the Ministry. Ron and Hermione assured him that everything would be fine, but Harry could hardly tell anymore. The Blacks were apparently an old pureblood family known for dabbling in the Dark Arts, which certainly didn't help Sirius's case at all.

Word of Harry, Ron, and Hermione's adventure had spread very quickly, and all three of them were being constantly bombarded with questions about Sirius and Wormtail. It seemed to be the castle's hottest topic of discussion, and the students seemed to have split into groups regarded who they thought was guilty. Harry had even overheard some eccentric Ravenclaws talking about how they thought they had both been framed. Professor Lupin was getting interrogated too, since he helped "capture" Black and Pettigrew.

It wasn't until a few (long) days later that the Prophet's front page was emblazoned with the headline _**Black and Pettigrew to Go to Trial Tomorrow- Minister Refuses to Give Details**_. Harry felt slightly sick when he saw it, but also a sense of relief. It would all be over tomorrow...Or so he thought, until Hermione informed him that that trial definitely would last more than one day, probably even a few weeks. Then he just felt sick again.

But that evening, as he sat in the Great Hall picking at his food, Hedwig swooped down to land on the table next to him. She hadn't returned since he sent her to Sirius, but he had been worrying so much already that he had hardly noticed her absence. When he spotted the rolled up letter attached to her leg, his heart leapt into his throat. He quickly untied the parchment as Hedwig helped herself to his cereal and smoothed it onto the table.

"What does it say?" Ron whispered urgently as he bent over his shoulder to read it. Harry leaned a little farther away so he could read it to himself first, trying not to catch the attention of too many people sitting nearby.

_Harry,_

_As you have probably already seen, they're taking me to the trial tomorrow, so I'm afraid no decisions have been made yet. I think you're right, they must be idiots not to see what really happened. Unfortunately Veritaserum, the truth potion, can only be used in a real trial, with consent, and even then it can be tampered with so they don't rely on it too much. But if they do ask me if I want to use it, I will. The trial should last maybe a few days at the least, but try not to worry too much. Also, I'm not supposed to have any contact with anyone until it's over, so no more letters okay? But when I get off I'll write to you immediately. And don't feel weird about writing back when I do._

_Sirius_

Harry read it several more times before soundlessly handing it to Ron, who then gave it to Hermione. He wasn't sure how he was feeling. The letter didn't give explanation as to why there was such a big delay in writing back, but he supposed that didn't matter too much. Sirius also seemed pretty confident that he would get off and everything would be fine, but Harry knew that he could just be saying that for his benefit. When Hermione was finished she handed the letter back to him.

"He's fine, Harry. Just try and be optimistic for once. They're not going to find him guilty with Pettigrew in their possession."

Harry knew she was right, and tried to be more cheerful for the rest of the night, though his stomach was still tight with nerves. Finally excusing himself from the common room later that evening, he fell into an uneasy sleep. He dreamed that Sirius was found innocent, but when term ended and Harry exited the Hogwarts Express, he wasn't there. Instead, it was the Dursleys as usual, who said that Sirius didn't want him and had begged them to take him back. When he woke up, Harry knew it was ridiculous, but it would be a lie to say that something of the sort hadn't crossed his mind in the past couple of days. Sirius had been the one to ask if he wanted to live with him, but they hardly knew each other, and he could change his mind at any time. Harry immediately banished these thoughts from his mind. He was being selfish. Sirius didn't break out of Azkaban and try to kill Wormtail for _him. _He had spent twelve years in prison for a crime he didn't commit and deserved to have his life given back to him... with or without Harry.

Sirius had written that they couldn't exchange letters while the trial was going on, but there was hardly any need for them anyway. News of the trial hit the papers the next morning, which said that "Black and Pettigrew had both been questioned extensively and were awaiting further decisions." Harry didn't need to look at it much more to see that Sirius had told the truth ,while Wormtail had lied to the best of his ability. He let Hermione pore over the article while he helped himself to some breakfast. It could still go either way. Now it only mattered who told a better story.

Term was coming to an end, and Harry was worried that the trial was going to last into the summer, which he definitely didn't want. The Daily Prophet said that Sirius and Peter were questioned several other times throughout the week until it was announced that there would be a day of deliberation followed by the final decision. Harry hardly slept that night. The castle was still divided as to who they thought would win, and their conversations repeated themselves in his mind well into the night. He could tell by Ron's expression when he woke the next morning that he knew exactly what he had been doing. Harry just made a face at him and headed into the shower.

Ron was waiting for him when he was done, and they headed down to the Great Hall, not speaking. When they reached Hermione at the Gryffindor table, she smiled at Harry.

"They have pancakes today," she said.

"Great," Harry muttered. "Is the castle feeling bad for me, too?"

"Why would it be feeling bad for you?" she frowned. "The Prophet hasn't come yet. Sit down."

As they did so, Harry glanced around the Hall. There did seem to be an air of curious excitement in the room, but Harry didn't feel excited, just sick. He stared down at his pancakes, usually a favorite of his, trying not to think too negatively. There was every reason to think that Sirius would win; in fact here was no reason to think he shouldn't. Unless Peter had somehow bewitched the people deciding his fate, bribed them, or did anything else to make them believe him-

There was a great whoosh as the morning's mail came flying into the Hall, and Ron and Hermione looked up eagerly. Harry continued to glare at his breakfast with renewed nerves, though desperately listening to the sounds around him.

"Oi, Lee!" he heard Ron call to Lee Jordan at the other end of the table. "Who won?!"

"Pettigrew!" Lee shouted back, and there was the noise of him waving the paper in their direction.

Harry's stomach, already weighed down during the past week or so, sank all the way to the ground. He blindly stood up and tried to move away from the table, but Hermione grabbed his arm.

"Wait!" she hissed. "Lee's just being an idiot and messing with you- I think Sirius won!"

"Nice try, Hermione," Harry said, his voice sounding strange in his ears. "Can you please let me go-"

"Oi, mate, I wasn't being serious," came Lee's voice, and Harry realized he had come over to them now. "Black won." He shoved the paper into Harry's face so he could clearly see the headline: _**Sirius Black Wins Case- Pettigrew Sentenced to Life in Azkaban**_.

The first thing he felt was relief flooding every inch of his body. He let out a deep breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, then took the Prophet from Lee and stared at the picture of Sirius underneath it, smiling and definitely cleaner then when Harry last saw him.

The second thing he felt was annoyance, which turned into indignation.

"Why-_the fuck-_would you say that to me?!" Harry exclaimed, shoving the paper back into Lee's arms.

"Fred and George told me that Hermione had been talking to Ginny about how Sirius Black had said he might adopt you," Lee said quietly, now surely aware he had made a mistake. "I thought it would be funny."

Harry stared at him, then his face broke into a big grin. He looked around him and saw that many people were now discussing the news; shaking their heads or looking excited. Harry felt dizzy with happiness. Suddenly ravenous, he promptly sat back down at his seat and began eating properly for the first time in what felt like an eternity. He heard Lee laughing as he made his way back to his own place at the table, and knew Ron and Hermione were probably exchanging looks of "we told him so" behind his back, but he found he didn't care. And when they finally sat back down on either side of him and started a conversation about Quidditch, he joined in with vigor.

* * *

Harry's time at Hogwarts before the trial had seemed to drag on forever; afterward the days seemed like a blur. Just as Sirius had promised, he had wrote to Harry the day he was proclaimed not guilty. It was a long letter, talking about how stupid some of the Ministry people are that voted for Pettigrew and what a terrible time he had had there, but Harry could tell he was pleased. It also said that he was going to try to get custody of Harry before the school year ended in the next few days. There was apparently a "nice mansion that my uncle left me when he died. No one's lived in it for a while, but I think you'll like it.", and Harry couldn't be happier. He wrote back right away, trying to convey that he liked the idea, but still was unsure what to say. Sirius continued to write to him though, sometimes just about silly things. In fact, by the time Harry was packing to leave Hogwarts just four days after the trial ended, he had six letters, and was sure there would be a seventh for him before he left.

The only downside to it all was that somehow the press found out what Sirius was trying to do, and it had dominated the papers. There were multiple sob stories about how awfully the Dursleys had mistreated Harry and how Sirius was a sort of savior to whisk him away. It pissed Harry off to no end (if even if it was partly true), and Malfoy seemed to find it hilarious; quoting the articles at him whenever he could. But the worst ones were written by the people who still didn't believe Sirius was innocent, who accused him of "stealing" Harry in order to hurt him, and in worst case scenarios, kill him. Harry knew that some students still sided with these articles, and they would often give him pitying looks as they passed in the corridors. Why couldn't everyone just let him and Sirius be?

At least the end-of-the-year feast was delicious, as always. And sure enough, as Harry was digging into some treacle tart, a large brown owl brought him a letter saying Sirius hoped the train wouldn't crash and he would arrive at London in one piece. Harry sent him an equally sarcastic reply and finished dinner before heading up to the common room.

The next morning, he, Ron and Hermione boarded the Hogwarts Express together as usual. They could find no empty compartments, so they headed back to Fred, George, and Lee's. Ron didn't seem too happy about it, but Harry didn't mind too much.

"At least this time there isn't a teacher in here." he joked under his breath and made Ron smile.

The loudness of the twins also helped distract him from thinking about what was going to happen when they reached Platform 9 3/4. He knew Sirius would be there, and he had a house, and a house-elf apparently, though he didn't like him too much, but Harry wasn't sure what would actually _happen_. With the Dursleys he always knew how to act; it didn't require any effort. But he supposed being friendly with someone was harder than being an asshole. Hermione was the only one to really notice that he was worried about something. She gave him odd looks that looked something close to pity, which Harry didn't appreciate much, but he knew she was just caring about him.

When there was finally a pause in Fred and George's antics, she asked him calmly, "Are you nervous?"

Harry shrugged noncommittally, turning to stare out the window.

"Why would he be nervous?" George asked.

It was Hermione's turn to shrug. "New home and stuff. Just thought he might be."

Harry continued to focus on the window, aware that every eye in the compartment was now fixed on him. _Thanks, Hermione_.

"Well, if _I_ had a new home, I'd be celebrating," Fred chimed in. "Isn't that right, George?"

"Yep," replied George, popping the 'p' at the end. "All those siblings can certainly become a nuisance after a while. Especially you, Ron."

During the argument that followed, Harry officially banished the thoughts of _what if he sends me back to the Dursleys what if he hates me what if- _and tried to participate in the conversation as he usually did. It wasn't too hard when you were around the twins, you just had to laugh and defend yourself if they started in on you. Still, he couldn't help the jolt he felt in his stomach when the train came to a stop.

Ron was the first one to grab his things and leave, grumbling under his breath. Harry followed him off the train, heart beating maybe a little faster than it should, until they reached where someone was directing the kids through the enchanted wall in small groups. Hermione caught up to in a few moments, saying goodbye to various people. Harry waved to Dean and Seamus before they disappeared through the wall, and later to Neville. Ron quickly forgot about Fred and George for the time being as he said goodbye to some others as well. When it was their turn to go through, Harry steeled himself for whatever might be on the other side, and followed Ron and Hermione.

King's Cross Station was packed as it always was on Hogwarts's last day. Ron quickly led them over to where his mum was standing with Percy and Ginny. Molly hugged all three of them and kissed Ron on the cheek, making him look disgruntled. Harry scanned around looking for Sirius and felt another jolt when he finally located him, talking and laughing with a couple near the outskirts of the crowd, a lot cleaner than when Harry had saw him last.

"Did you find him?" Hermione asked next to him, trying to follow his gaze.

"Yes, I- wait, you need to look for your own parents. I don't need you to help me," Harry said grumpily, but she just gave him a look and a slight push in Sirius's direction.

"Have a good summer," she said. "Ron, wish Harry a good summer!"

"Oh did he- goodbye!" Ron waved at him from his mother's embrace. Harry smiled and waved back, then took a deep breath, reminded himself that he was not going to die, and made his way over to Sirius. When Sirius saw him coming, he gave a huge grin that Harry couldn't help reciprocate.

"Hey," Sirius said when he finally weaved his way through the crowd over to him.

"Hey," Harry replied, hoping he didn't sound too nervous.

"Is this Harry Potter?" said an unfamiliar voice. Harry realized that it was one of the people Sirius had been talking to earlier.

"Yeah," Sirius smiled widely at her. "Harry, this is Lucy Bones. Her sister tried me at the Ministry."

"Hi," Harry said shyly, wondering why Sirius was getting to know the family of his prosecutors.

"Amelia was one of the first people to see I was innocent," he explained."Anyway, we should be off, don't you think?"

Harry nodded and Sirius smiled at him, then waved to Lucy and guided him to where the crowd wasn't so dense.

"Have you ever Apparated before?" Sirius asked him as they continued to the doors.

"No," Harry said, frowning. "Don't you need a license to Apparate?"

"Unless it's Side-Along. But most people don't bother with it, it can be dangerous if you're not good at Apparating." Sirius explained, then as if he could tell what Harry was thinking, added, "But _I'm_ good at it, so don't worry."

Harry smiled at him, but was unsure what to say. Sirius didn't seem to mind, however, and continued on about the mansion that he had gotten a hold of. "I hope you'll like it, I only had a few days to, you know, clean it up. No one's lived in it for a while. But it is pretty big, too, almost too big for just two people, and the suit of armor on the second floor likes to make noise at night so if you want to get rid of it that would be okay-"

"I'm sure it will be fine," Harry said, almost surprised at how easy it was too talk to Sirius. It was no different than talking to Ron or Hermione, so he continued on. "I'm not used to anything fancy."

"Well, I didn't say it wasn't fancy," Sirius grinned, opening the door for him to exit the Station.

The sun was very bright that afternoon, making it so unbearably hot it was almost hard to breathe. That was when he saw it: the Dursley's car, unmistakably theirs, parked near the front as usual. Harry groaned.

"What is it?" Sirius came up behind him.

"I think the Dursleys are here." Harry explained.

"Oh," Sirius looked surprised. "I thought Dumbledore told them I was taking you. Do you want to go and find them?"

"Um, no, not really," Harry said truthfully, regretting saying anything. If he had just said nothing was wrong they could have just kept on going to wherever they were going, which Harry assumed was a safe place to Apparate.

"Are you sure?" Sirius looked even more surprised. Harry bit his lip indecisively. Leave it to the Dursleys to mess everything up. He didn't particularly care if they thought that he had been kidnapped or something; they probably would say good riddance and leave if he didn't show up. But if he acted like he didn't care about his previous guardians, what would Sirius think of him?

"I guess we should go find them." Harry said finally. He could tell Sirius noticed he didn't seem too happy about it, but he just turned around to walk back into the building.

"Where-"

"There you are, boy!"

Harry wheeled around. Sure enough, it was Vernon Dursley, stomping toward him like an angry elephant. Behind him trailed Petunia and Dudley, neither looking very pleased.

Sirius stepped a little closer to him. "You must be Harry's uncle," he said pleasantly, but Harry could tell there was an edge to his voice.

"Damn right, I am. You must be the crazy criminal that the old man told us about," Vernon said angrily.

"You mean Dumbledore? Oh, and of course if you haven't heard, I'm not crazy; or a criminal; after all," Sirius said.

"Yeah, I heard about the court case," Vernon threateningly pointed a chubby finger at him. "but I don't believe it for a second. Not that I care that much about where the boy goes, but this _Dumdlebore_ has specifically told me that he can't be going anywhere but with me."

"What?" Sirius said incredulously.

"Something about blood or something- didn't quite catch all of it- but I'm not going to have you stealing him so you can take all the credit for raising him!"

"Excuse me?"

"That's right!" Vernon's face was turning purple as it always did when he was agitated. "Now if you would be kind enough to-"

"What are you talking about?" Harry interrupted. "You don't get any 'credit' or whatever you're thinking."

"Yeah, well, that's exactly what you would say, wouldn't you, boy?" Vernon exclaimed. "But the old man told us everything; how we're famous in your freakish little world for everything that we've done for you-"

"I think I know what's going on here," Sirius interrupted coolly. "I'll talk to Dumbledore. I think we should go now, Harry."

Harry agreed wholeheartedly. He didn't know what was going on, but he definitely wanted to get out of there. Sirius spun around and left before the Dursleys had any time to protest, Harry following closely. Vernon didn't come after them, possibly because he knew both of them were "freaks", but he could hear him shouting from across the parking lot.

"What was that about?" Harry asked breathlessly once they were far enough away.

"Dumbledore," Sirius said bitterly. "I knew it wasn't over, but that was a real low blow."

"You think he told the Dursleys to get me?" Harry said disbelievingly.

"It certainly looks like it. He wasn't too happy when he found out I was adopting you."

"Why?"

Sirius sighed. "He doesn't think you're safe with me. As if you would be _safer_ with _them_."

He looked quite angry. Harry refrained from saying anything else, though he was still confused. The Dursleys had always thought that the wizarding world was full of loons, but he supposed if they were told that they were famous in it, they wouldn't just turn it down. He and Sirius walked down the street a little farther until they came upon an alley devoid of people.

"Let's go in there," Sirius nodded toward it. Harry followed him, stopping when they reached the middle.

"Muggles won't see us here. Take my arm?" he said. Harry did. "Apparating isn't the most comfortable form of travel," Sirius warned him.

"Okay," Harry said cautiously. Sirius smiled, and then there was darkness all around him. Harry couldn't see anything, but he could feel something pressing at him from all directions as if he was being squeezed through a very tight tube. He wanted to scream but he couldn't breathe, he felt like he was being crushed and just when he thought he was going to suffocate there was light again and he could see. He would've toppled over if it weren't for Sirius arm that still had his, keeping him upright. He sucked in a big breath of warm air and could hear Sirius saying something.

"-told you it's not the most pleasant thing, some people vomit the first time-"

"Can't imagine why," Harry wheezed. Sirius grinned at him and kept a firm grip on his arm until he could stand on his own. That was when he realized where they were. Behind them was a forest, looking like it could hold all manners of magical creatures, and to their left was a large lake, but the real thing that caught his attention was the mansion to the side of the lake, easily the biggest house Harry had ever seen.

"Do you like it?" Sirius's voice interrupted his thoughts. "We can get something smaller if you want."

"I think it's brilliant," Harry said, unable to take his eyes away. Sirius seemed pleased.

* * *

And the mansion _was _brilliant. The kitchen and sitting room were joined into one room, with a high, arched ceiling, giving it a very airy feeling. The counter was made of what looked like real marble and the furniture looked spectacularly expensive. There was also a dining room with a large table and chandelier that looked like it costed more than Harry's own life, and a pantry bigger than the kitchen at Number 4, Privet Drive. The upstairs seemed even larger, with five bedrooms and another room Sirius called the study, which was complete with a balcony that looked over the lake. When Harry stood at the railing he could see for miles and miles over the trees.

"How far away are we from civilization?" Harry inquired.

"There's a village not too far from here, to the south," Sirius said, pointing behind them with his thumb. Harry turned back to the view. He could feel Sirius watching him, as he had during most of the tour. "Do you want to see your room?" he asked suddenly.

"Yeah, sure," Harry smiled. They had already seen Sirius's bedroom, and Harry could hardly imagine what his would look like. Sirius had already said that his was bigger, as he had the master bedroom, but Harry was sort of glad; he didn't know what he would do with all that space.

As it turned out, Harry's room was still three times larger than his old one at Privet Drive. The walls were light blue, with a large four-poster similar to the beds at Hogwarts against the left one, and a large mahogany wardrobe. The far wall, however, was just a window, also looking out over the water and beyond.

"It's sort of bare," Sirius said in an apologetic tone. "But we can fill it up with your stuff, right?"

"Yeah," Harry breathed, but he decided right then and there that he liked it as it was. The ceiling was high here, too, making it feel open and... nice.

"I'll get your things," Sirius said from next to him. "You can wait here if you want."

"Okay," Harry answered, still transfixed by the room. He heard Sirius leave and supposed he should go help carry, but Sirius had said he could stay, so he did. He walked past the bed, feeling the blue comforter and finding it was very soft, and up to the window. At first he had been so mesmerized by it that he didn't notice there were a few steps leading up to a small landing in front of it. He slowly walked up them and touched his fingers to the window, smiling uncontrollably. He wasn't sure how long he stood like that until he heard Sirius in the doorway again. He turned around, preparing to tell him how much he loved the room and the house, until he saw the expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked worriedly.

"Dumbledore's here," Sirius said tightly. "He wants to talk to us."

Harry came down from the window and followed his godfather from his new room. He couldn't help but glance back at it as they left, and saw that Sirius had deposited his trunk by the bed. Sirius was silent as they made their way through the house, and Harry got the feeling that this wasn't going to be a very pleasant meeting. He couldn't recall ever being reluctant to see Dumbledore, but then he remembered that he had told the Dursleys to take him to Privet Drive, and suddenly wished that he hadn't come.

Dumbledore looked extremely out of place in the posh kitchen. Harry had never seen him anywhere except for Hogwarts. When he saw them he smiled sadly and said, "Hello, Harry."

"Hi, Professor," Harry said.

"I suspect you have an idea of why I am here."

"Yes, we do," Sirius said stiffly. "And I don't think we want to hear it."

Dumbledore ignored him. "Harry, you know that I spoke to your relatives."

Harry nodded. Sirius crossed his arms and huffed angrily. "Yeah, they chased after us with some crazy story about how you said they were famous."

Dumbledore sighed. "Not one of my better ideas, I'll admit. But I had a meeting with the Minister and wasn't able to be there myself, so I met with the Dursleys ahead of time. Harry, you need to understand that you can't stay here." Dumbledore said, peering at him over his spectacles.

Harry's chest felt constricted. "What?"

"You remember two years ago when I told you of the sacrifice your mother made for you that protects you. Well, that only protects you while you still call Number 4, Privet Drive your home."

"I can protect him just as well here," Sirius growled. "I've done everything. Every single protective spell I know of has been put on this property. I was even going to get together with Remus and the Tonks to pick a Secret Keeper for the Fidelius Charm."

"Nothing is as strong as the blood magic. He is safest there."

"He's not safe there!" Sirius said incredulously. "Have you even met that man? He treated him like a piece of property and didn't even call him by name! He only cared about the stupid lie that you told him about how he would get recognition-"

"I am aware that they aren't the most, ah, _pleasant_, of people, but Harry is safer there then he is anywhere else. I know that it is what neither of you want, but isn't his safety more important?"

Sirius didn't say anything, but continued to glare at him.

"Harry, if you could go get your things, please," Dumbledore said quietly.

Harry glanced at Sirius, but he wouldn't even look at him, so he went. The mansion was silent as he walked to the amazing room that he shouldn't have been naive enough to think would ever be his. Hedwig hooted at him as he grabbed her cage and his trunk, angry tears pricking at the back of his eyes. Just then he could hear Sirius shouting beneath him, the words "safe" and "godson" definitely in there somewhere. Sirius was right; he wasn't safe with the Dursleys, but he would never live anywhere else thanks to Voldemort. Had Voldemort ruined everything in his life?

When he arrived back in the kitchen, Sirius wasn't shouting anymore, but he still looked furious. "If you could give us one week, just one week, I would prove it to you," he said hollowly. "Please?"

Dumbledore regarded him for a long moment. "Even if I agreed, it would be very unlikely that I would change my mind afterward. You would only be torturing yourself, Sirius."

"One week," Sirius insisted. "He'll be perfectly safe with me."

"Even a week is enough time for Death Eaters to do him harm."

"He'll be safe with me," Sirius repeated. Dumbledore turned to where Harry was still standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Do you believe you would be safe here?"

Harry nodded. "I want to stay," he said, his throat hurting.

Dumbledore sighed. "Very well. But know that even if nothing happens, it will be hard to change my mind."

"I know," Sirius said earnestly. Dumbledore sighed again.

"Fine. I will leave you be." He nodded grimly at Harry, then showed himself out.

Sirius exhaled deeply, turning to face Harry. "Sorry about that," he smiled sadly, then nodded in the direction of Harry's trunk. "Do you want me to take that back up?"

"I can do it," Harry said, but Sirius just waved his wand at it and it disappeared.

Harry felt an awkward silence coming, so he broke it early. "Did you know about the blood bond?"

"Dumbledore told me at the Ministry when I went to adopt you," Sirius ran a hand through his hair, looking distressed. "I thought he dropped it. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Harry said automatically, then a quieter voice, "Do you think he'll let me stay? After the week, I mean."

Sirius looked at him again. "He will," he said determinedly. "Nothing to worry about. I'll make sure of it." He took a deep breath and grinned. "Want to see the suit of armor I told you about?"

"Yeah," Harry said, grinning. It seemed they were going to pretend Dumbledore's visit didn't happen; at least for the time being; which he was perfectly content with.

* * *

The talking suit of armor Sirius was so worried about was up on the second floor near the study. It was actually hilarious, and when it asked Harry if he hit his head on the ground when he sneezed because he was so short Harry laughed hysterically for so long that Sirius started laughing, too. Sirius then showed him the back of house, which had a large, enclosed porch and a swimming pool.

"Why would someone need a pool if they had a lake?" Harry asked.

"Well, you can swim in the lake, too. It's just not clean," Sirius said. "And there's fish."

By the time they had finished going through the entire house, it was getting dark outside. Harry was starting to feel tired, though he would never admit it. Sirius seemed to know he didn't want to walk around anymore, though, and he told him to sit down in the sitting room. Harry heard him moving around in the kitchen and gazed around him. The focus of the room was obviously the large, ornate fireplace, which was surrounded by a long, luxurious couch and a few armchairs. The large window on the far left wall looked out onto the grassy stretch before the forest began. Harry sat stiffly on the couch, starting to feel a bit uncomfortable, until Sirius came and set a large platter and and two plates on the coffee table. On said platter was a giant green cake. Harry cocked an eyebrow, then remembered who he was with and stopped immediately, but not before Sirius had seen. He snorted and said, grinning, "My cousin Andy made it. She has a knack for that sort of thing."

Harry, suddenly ravenous, watched as he cut the cake. He'd eaten on the train, but he hadn't realized how long ago that had been."You have cousins?" he asked, even though he already knew from the Daily Prophet.

"Oh yes, the Black family tree is quite extensive," Sirius said, handing a plate and fork, which he took eagerly. "I'm the only Black left, but there are others. Andromeda is a Tonks now. They disowned her when she married a Muggle."

Harry was rather taken aback. "That's awful!"

"It isn't that bad. I was disowned too. I was sixteen and had enough of their pureblood mania," Sirius shrugged.

"I'm sorry," Harry said awkwardly.

"Like I said, it's not that bad. They were horrid people, really," Sirius sat down with his plate, reminding Harry of his own cake he was supposed to be eating. He took a bite and discovered it was actually quite good.

"Remus tells me you don't get along with the Malfoy boy very well," Sirius said, and Harry looked up to see he had been watching him.

"Not very well, no," Harry said evenly.

Sirius nodded. "His mother is Andy's sister, so I had the pleasure of meeting Lucius on several occasions. Not the best man in the world. I imagine his son can't be very different."

"No, he's not," Harry said, taking another bite of cake. "He's... well... Malfoy," he finished lamely.

Sirius sniggered. "Well put." Harry felt himself flush slightly, but Sirius didn't notice, occupying himself with more cake. "All the pureblood families are related in some way. I think I'm distantly related to the Weasleys, but I'm not sure how."

"That means Ron is related to Malfoy," Harry said. "He won't he too happy about that."

Sirius chuckled, his eyes suddenly sparkling. "So," he said, sitting back and keeping his eyes on Harry.

"What?"

"Well," he began, with an air of pompousness, "We're living together, and I hardly know anything about you."

"Well, I don't know much about you," Harry countered.

"True," Sirius admitted, "but there's not much to tell. Whereas you are thirteen and just got back from Hogwarts. Much more interesting."

"Maybe," Harry said, grinning. "What do you know about me so far?"

"Hmmm," Sirius said thoughtfully. "I know you're good at Quidditch- _v__ery good_ in fact. I know you look like James, but act more like Lily. Your best friends are Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, who are, as I understand it, intelligent in their own respective fields," he winked and Harry held back a laugh. "And you're a Gryffindor, which was proved when you fearlessly rode a hippogriff up to one of the highest places in the castle to save me from the Dementor's Kiss; which you're going to have to tell me how you did, by the way-"

"It was nothing," Harry mumbled, but it seemed Sirius wasn't finished.

"-I think you've got quite a bit of sass, too, even though you haven't used it on me yet, plus, Moony tells me you're top of your class in Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Am I?" Harry said incredulously.

"Humble as well, then?" Sirius grinned.

"I guess," Harry said, perplexed. Sirius laughed at his expression.

"So what else is there?" he asked, eyes sparkling mischievously.

"Nothing," Harry confessed. "I think you know more about me than I do."

He laughed again, and Harry observed it sounded like a dog's bark. "Somehow I doubt that," he said once he got control of his voice again.

Harry smiled and took another bite of cake, unsure of what to say. As usual, Sirius didn't seem to notice this, and continued the conversation. "You have to give me something. What do you do in your free time at Hogwarts?"

Harry racked his brains. "Quidditch. Ron plays chess with me sometimes."

"Are you good?" Sirius asked.

"No." Harry shook his head vigorously. "He always beats me. He beat McGonagall once."

"Did he now? Is it common to challenge your professors to chess games?" Sirius grinned.

"Well, no... it wasn't like that," Harry said uneasily, realizing his mistake. Did Sirius know about the adventures he had at Hogwarts? "It... was a chessboard she had enchanted. And he beat it."

"Oh," Sirius said, but Harry could tell he didn't fully understand. "Well, just because Ron's good doesn't mean you're bad, does it?"

"I guess not," Harry smiled genuinely. He looked down and saw that he had eaten all of his cake. Almost simultaneously, he gave a giant yawn, which he tried to hide behind his hand, but it was obvious Sirius had seen.

"Are you tired?" he asked.

"A bit," Harry admitted, suddenly realizing how exhausted he was.

"You could go upstairs if you want. We'll get everything settled tomorrow. Do you remember where everything is?" Sirius inquired.

"I think so," Harry said, standing up, then remembered his plate. "Um...where should I...?"

"I can take that," Sirius said, standing, and Harry handed it to him. "I was good at chess once upon a time, you know. We could play if you want."

"Yeah, maybe," Harry replied, smiling, finding he liked that idea.

Sirius grinned at him. "Goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight," Harry said, and Sirius departed for the kitchen. Harry let out a deep breath, and went up to the-no-_his_ bedroom.

It looked slightly different at night. It was still pleasantly open and airy, but without light from the window it seemed like a whole different room. Harry turned on the lamp and rummaged through his trunk for pajamas. He remembered where the bathroom was, just a few doors down the hall. Sirius had his own bathroom, just off his bedroom, and there was another downstairs, maybe even a few more. He couldn't even remember. The house was just so _big_. Harry brushed his teeth and then returned to th-_his_ room, and climbed into bed.

It was similar in size to his fourposter at Hogwarts, but somehow still felt way too big. Harry curled up under the covers and turned to stare out the window. The moonlight danced on the water of the lake, making it an even nicer view than before. The darkness and silence were very much welcome after the events of the day, but Harry couldn't sleep. He replayed all of his interactions with Sirius in his mind, hoping he hadn't messed anything up, then finally allowed himself to think of Dumbledore's visit. Would he really take him back to the Dursleys if he thought Sirius wasn't giving him enough protection? Surely the blood bond alone wasn't stronger than tens of protective charms, including the Fidelius. He knew nothing about spells like that, but he knew for a certainty that the Dursleys wouldn't protect him at all if something happened. In fact, they would probably make things worse, as they usually did. Harry glanced around his darkened room one more time. He definitely wanted to stay here, even if things with Sirius were still a little awkward.

He flipped over and tried to sleep, but it was difficult in an unfamiliar bed with his thoughts racing. Still, he _was_ tired, and eventually turned back over to face the window and drifted off uneasily.

_A/N: So, how was it? Ii'm feeling pretty insecure about this story right now, but I'm sure it was fine. I mean...right? I hope Harry and Sirius didn't seem too OOC. Please review! xoxo_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Woohoo! An update! Huge thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited! It's good to know people are enjoying my writing. :)_

* * *

Sirius waited until he could no longer hear Harry's footsteps retreating upstairs, then threw a hand into his hair and allowed himself a deep breath. He had thought extensively beforehand about all of the things he was going to ask his godson, but he had realized that he had left out some of the most important things. Such as, what time does he usually go to bed, and what time does he get up? And he could have sworn he was going to make dinner, but it had completely slipped his mind until they were done with the tour, and by then it was way too late.

Sirius glanced at the fireplace across the room. Remus had said he would Floo later in the evening to see how their first day went, and Sirius found himself wishing he would soon. He opened one of the kitchen's many cabinets and retrieved a wine bottle and then a glass, pouring himself just a bit. He was just thinking about Flooing Remus himself when a familiar voice said "Padfoot?"

"Moony!" Sirius exclaimed, wheeling around. Remus smiled at him, then frowned when he saw what he was holding. "Harry went to bed," he said quickly. "I was just going to have a bit."

Remus didn't look pleased, but only said, "How'd it go?"

"Fine, I'd say," Sirius sighed, then when he realized Remus was waiting for him to continue, said, "He seemed a bit nervous. Very quiet."

"Well, he has every right to be nervous," Remus said.

"Yes, of course, I know he does," Sirius said, running a hand through his hair. "He just...seems so tense. How do I- I dunno- make him feel more comfortable around me?"

"Just keep talking to him. Be friendly. You should see him around Ron and Hermione. Can hardly stop for breath, then."

Sirius smiled at the thought. "I just want him to feel at home, you know? I met those relatives of his, and I don't think he got much affection when he was with them."

"Wait, you met the Dursleys?" Remus asked incredulously.

Sirius nodded grimly, then quickly relayed to him their encounter with the Dursleys and Dumbledore's resulting visit.

"That's ridiculous, he can't go back to them!" Remus looked horrified.

"I know," Sirius agreed.

"I mean, I understand about the blood bond, but surely you would be able to protect him better... right?" he fixed Sirius with his signature parental stare.

"Of course I can," Sirius waved away his inquiry. "Anyway, Dumbledore gave us a week. Maybe if the charms hold and nothing bad happens he'll just let him stay. Not sure what else he expects."

"I don't know either," Remus frowned again. "What else did you do today?"

"Gave him a tour of the house. He seemed to like it. We ate some of Andy's cake."

"Did you make dinner?"

"..."

"_Sirius!_"

"I forgot!" Sirius wailed. "I meant to! I'm going to make breakfast, okay?"

"He's another _person_, Sirius! You can't do that again," Remus scolded him.

"I know, I know!" Sirius said, distressed. He sighed. "It's weird, Moons. Sometimes I mean to do things and then...they don't get done."

"That would be because you don't get off your lazy arse and do them," Remus sounded amused and exasperated at the same time.

"No, I mean that...never mind," Sirius shook his head. "I think it's Azkaban. Sometimes I just lose my train of thought and can't get it back. It's annoying. I know it's no excuse of course, but... I'll get it under control."

"Okay," Remus said quietly. There was a short silence during which Sirius took a sip of his drink, then,

"What does he like?"

"What?"

"Food," Sirius said impatiently. "What does he like for breakfast?"

"How should I know? I didn't sit with him during the meals," Remus studied him. "You should have asked him."

Sirius sighed. "I know. I hope I get better at this. It's harder than it sounds."

Remus was quiet for a second. "I could come by tomorrow if you want," he said. "If you think Harry would be happy to see me."

"I think he would," Sirius admitted. "Maybe it would be nice for us to not be alone for a little bit."

"That's what I was thinking," Remus said. "When are you going to pick a Secret-Keeper?"

"I was thinking two days from now. I'll Floo the Weasleys tomorrow."

Remus nodded approvingly. "How long ago did he go to bed?"

"Just I few minutes before you Flooed me," Sirius thought for a second. "Should I go and check on him? I'm worried that he may need something and is too afraid to ask me."

"I would. Just to see if he's okay," Remus said. "I'll go then."

"All right," Sirius said. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Pads," Remus smiled softly at him. "You'll be fine, you know. He's probably more afraid of you then you are of him," he added teasingly.

"Yeah, yeah," Sirius said gruffly.

Remus laughed and his head disappeared from the flames.

Sirius deliberated for a moment, then poured the remains of his wine down the sink. His movements seemed loud and unnecessary in the silence that followed his talk with Remus. He made his way upstairs to Harry's room, trying to be as quiet as possible in case he was asleep. The suit of armor near the study tried to get his attention by clanging his shield on the wall. Sirius shot it a look, beginning to get very irritated. Harry thought it was funny, so he had no problem with keeping it... but he could still remember when his family visited his Uncle Alfred and it _always_ sided with Regulus.

When he reached his destination, he lightly knocked on the door. There was no answer, so he quietly said "Harry?" Still nothing. Sirius gently cracked the door open to peer inside, trying to be as quiet as possible. It was dark, but he could see in the moonlight that there was a large, unmoving lump on the bed. He slowly closed the door and went down to his own room.

* * *

The next morning, Sirius woke up to the early morning light that streamed through the windows. He rolled over onto his stomach, trying to fall back asleep, but then all of a sudden he remembered what had happened the day before and his eyes flew open. His head instantly filled with worries. Would Harry be up yet? Sirius quickly threw off his covers, dressed, and peeked his head out his door. There was no sign as to whether or not Harry was awake, although Sirius didn't know what he was looking for. He hurried down the stairs and surveyed the kitchen and sitting room. There was no one there. Sirius took a deep breath to calm down, reminding himself not to panic.

He had told Remus he would make breakfast, and he meant it, but he wasn't sure what Harry would like. He went to the kitchen and examined what he had, running a hand through his hair. He decided on eggs. Who didn't like eggs? But then, of course, there was the problem of how he liked them. Maybe he could make some fried and some scrambled, and then he could choose. That seemed foolproof.

He was searching for the eggs when he saw the large, saran-wrapped plate. He didn't remember setting anything out last night. The cake had been put away...

Sirius frowned and went over to the other end of the counter where it was placed. He lifted up the wrapping and discovered it was a pie. That was strange. He didn't make or have any pies. His confusion quickly turned into panic. Why was there just a pie sitting in his kitchen? How did it get there? He had shut up the fireplace so no one could Floo them, and very few people knew where they were anyway. He had put all kinds of charms on the house so that he would be alerted if someone broke in, which was almost impossible. Sirius stared at the pie for several moments, then very quickly wrapped it back up. Maybe he was being paranoid. There was no reason to think the worst just yet, even if he didn't know what the worst was. Who would break into their house in the middle of the night just to give them a pie?

Sirius took a deep breath. The pie didn't seem dangerous. He told himself he would talk about with Moony later, and forced himself to return to making breakfast. He was almost finished and wondering whether he should go see if Harry was awake (or kidnapped by evil pie distributors) when he heard light footsteps on the staircase. Sirius stayed turned toward the stove and waited for him to say something. There was a moment where he guessed Harry was looking around, and then he heard a quiet "Hey."

Sirius turned around, beaming. "Good morning. Do you like eggs?"

"Yeah," Harry grinned. He was dressed similarly to how he was yesterday; in baggy jeans and a T-shirt that looked a little too big for him; and his hair was mussed from sleep, but he looked happy as he took a plate of scrambled eggs.

"Have you been up long?" Sirius asked as he scooped some for himself.

"Not really," Harry said, then suddenly shy, "Do you have ketchup?"

"Course!" Sirius said brightly, going to retrieve it. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah," Harry said, accepting the bottle of ketchup Sirius handed him. He applied some ketchup to his eggs, and then said, "I really like my room."

"Good!" Sirius smiled widely, his spirits lifting tenfold. "I thought you would. But there are others if you get bored."

Harry snorted. "Is that what you did when you were a kid?"

"Nah, but we definitely could've. There were enough rooms, and I doubt my parents would have minded. Or even noticed." Sirius frowned, then decided to change the subject. "I talked to Moony last night after you went to bed. He said he might stop by later."

"That sounds fun," Harry smiled, then nodded to the large platter on the other end of the counter, asking, "What's that?"

Sirius turned away. "That's...um... a pie."

"A pie?"

"Yes. I... don't know where it came from." he turned back around to see that Harry was staring at him.

"What do you mean, you don't know where it came from?"

"I mean exactly that," Sirius said, glaring at the offending pie. "I came down here this morning and it was just there!"

Harry continued to stare at him, then burst out laughing. "So... wait, what?"

Sirius shook his head. "I don't know either, mate."

Harry laughed some more, and Sirius couldn't help but feel (slightly) better.

After they were both finished eating, Sirius suggested they play that game of chess they'd discussed last night. Harry agreed, so Sirius told him to wait in the sitting room and searched for Alphard's old chess set. It was made completely of silver and was hundreds of years old. When he was alive he kept it in his room, but Sirius had found it in the study when he cleaned it out. As he rummaged through the desks and boxes, trying to remember what he had done with it, he heard the door creaking from behind him.

"Harry!" he said in surprise.

"Sorry," Harry said. "When you didn't come back I thought you might need help finding it." He looked rather embarrassed, for reasons unknown.

"No, it's fine," Sirius said. "I know it's here somewhere."

Harry walked over to help him search. "What's this?" he asked after a few minutes, holding up what looked like a large tapestry.

"Ah, that would be my family tree," Sirius grimaced. "My Uncle Alphard was kind enough not to display it, much to my mother's displeasure."

Harry carefully placed the tapestry back into it's box and closed the lid. "Is this the chess set?" he asked suddenly, pointing to the corner of the room where, indeed, it sat with several other Black treasures.

"That would be it," Sirius shut the desk drawer and went over to retrieve it. He brushed off some of the dust from the board. "Pure silver," he said. "I think it's... three hundred years old? Four? I forgot."

"I can't play with that," Harry said, wide-eyed.

"Don't be ridiculous. We played with it all the time as kids." Sirius set it on the desk. "What color do you want?"

Harry looked unsure for a moment, then mumbled, "White, I guess."

"Okay. Sit down, it'll be fun."

Harry wasn't as bad at chess as he said; in fact he was quite good. Sirius ended up winning, but Harry didn't seem to care and was grinning as Sirius moved his rook to checkmate him. "You got me."

"I do," Sirius agreed. "You play well."

"Thanks," Harry said, looking pleased.

Sirius had noticed during his turns that Harry had been glancing over to the glass doors to the balcony, so when he asked if he would like to go down to the lake for a little while, he wasn't surprised when he agreed wholeheartedly. There was a small patio by the shore, but Sirius led Harry all the way down to the water and transformed into Padfoot. As usual when he was a dog, his mind went blank for a short moment before he was able to think again, though it was a much simpler kind of thinking. The lake looked very pretty that time of day, with the sunshine reflecting off the surface. He saw Harry- or was it James? No it was definitely Harry- and ran over to him, his tail wagging happily. Harry grinned and reached down to pet him. Padfoot leaped up and placed his paws on Harry's shoulders like a human, and he laughed, a most welcome sound. Padfoot's mind distantly noted that Harry had a good laugh, a lot like Lily's and he barked and ran out into the water. He heard splashing behind him and turned to see Harry walking out into the water barefoot with his jeans rolled up.

"Sirius!" he yelled, laughing. "What are you doing?"

Padfoot just ran up to him, panting happily. Harry patted his head and he grabbed his sleeve, pulling him out farther into the water. Harry laughed and reached down with his other hand to splash him. Padfoot let go of him to dunk his head and lift it back up quickly, effectively showering Harry in water. He spluttered and raised a hand in front of his face to shield himself, then lowered it slowly, grinning. Padfoot wagged his tail, his ears perked up. He did it again, and Harry laughed, now running away from him and out of the water. Padfoot followed, barking loudly in amusement. He transformed back into a human and almost fell onto the ground from laughter. They were both soaking wet and covered in sand. Harry came back over to him and plopped down.

"That was terrible," he said.

"Right," Sirius grinned.

Harry sighed in exasperation, brushing hair out of his eyes. But he looked content, so Sirius felt pretty proud of himself. They sat there for a few long minutes, Harry absently drawing patterns in the sand with his finger. Sirius was starting to feel restless, but Harry was obviously enjoying himself, and Sirius enjoyed it when Harry enjoyed himself.

"It's hot," Harry observed after a couple minutes.

''It is," Sirius agreed. Harry just then seemed to realize he had been watching him, and blushed furiously, his hand immediately brushing away the pattern he had been tracing. "Are you hungry? It should be almost noon by now; we could have an early lunch."

"Sure," Harry said, brushing the sand off his trousers and starting to stand up.

* * *

After a quick meal of sandwiches and fruit salad, Sirius stayed in the kitchen for a little while longer than was necessary, just to see what Harry would do without being told to do anything. It was almost amusing; and a bit endearing; he sat uncertainly in an armchair for a little while, then slowly made his way up the stairs as if afraid Sirius would yell at him. He returned with a book in hand and hesitantly curled back up on the armchair again. Sirius smiled warmly and went over to sit next to him on the couch.

"I think Moony will be here for dinner. That's usually what he means by 'stopping by'."

Harry snorted. "Okay."

"Do you like chicken?" he asked.

Harry looked at him inquisitively. "Yes?"

"I was just going to make it," he explained. "You're going to have to tell me what you don't like so I don't have to keep asking."

Harry frowned. "I... there isn't really anything I don't like."

"C'mon, everyone has something they don't like," Sirius nudged him with his knee. "What about broccoli?"

"I like broccoli."

"Spinach? I hate spinach."

"No, I like that too," Harry bit back a laugh. "I...I'm not fond of sweet potatoes."

"Sweet potatoes," Sirius repeated.

"Yeah. They taste like assh- I mean- crap."

Sirius burst out laughing. "Well, I won't make sweet potatoes," he grinned. "I'm going to go clean up a little bit in the study, okay? I sort of just put everything I didn't know what to do with in there before you came."

"Okay," Harry said, looking slightly flushed. "Do you want me to help?"

"Nah, there isn't that much to do anyway," Sirius said. "Do whatever you want."

Harry looked a little overwhelmed at the prospect, bu nodded. Sirius smiled at him and walked away, feeling pleased with how the day had gone so far. Harry's shyness seemed to have been cured, at least for the time being.

Sirius emptied out most of the boxes that were piled in the study and put some things away, but most of it he decided to throw out. In his old age, Alphard had let the mansion grow cluttered and uncared for, and stored away most of the Black family heirlooms he was permitted. It was a treat as a child to visit some place and not be constantly bombarded with the importance of his heritage, but now he had to go through everything to determine what was useful and what wasn't. He and Moony had been able to do most of it in the few days before Harry arrived, but regardless of what he told Harry, there was still a lot to do. He only spent a few hours in the study, but it felt like an eternity. He'd done this with Remus before, and without him it was boring and lonely.

Just when he thought about taking a break and seeing if Harry needed anything, there was a knock on the door frame. "Padfoot?"

Sirius turned. "Moony!" he exclaimed. "How long have you been here?"

"Not long," Remus said, accepting Sirius's hug. "I was just talking to Harry. He's downstairs."

"Good," Sirius said mischievously, leaning forward to peck him on the lips.

"Sirius!" Remus hissed. "What-"

"Relax, you're the one that said he was downstairs."

Remus frowned. "Still..." he voice lowered, "When are you going to tell him?"

"When I think he won't freak out," Sirius answered unconcernedly. "It'll be fine. Come down with me."

Remus didn't look convinced, but reluctantly did as he was told. When they went downstairs, Harry was still where he had left him, looking comfortably settled with his book.

"Hey," he greeted, smiling.

"Hey," Sirius said. "Moony's here."

"Yep," he said. "I talked to him."

"We had a very interesting discussion about his book," Remus said.

"Really? I thought you were the only one around here who knew how to read, Remus," Sirius winked at him.

"I can read," Harry scoffed. "I like this book."

"I'd say. Have you spent the entire time reading? You've hardly moved."

"Yeah," Harry said. "I told you, it's good."

"What's it called?" Sirius asked, sitting down and motioning to Remus to do the same.

"Game of Thrones. It's a Muggle book, though."

"I've heard of it before," Remus said. "It's set in medieval times."

"That sounds...nice," Sirius said uncertainly.

Remus chuckled. "Padfoot here isn't much for reading."

"Well, I'm not going to make you read it," Harry said amusedly.

"I know," Sirius said grumpily. "Are either of you hungry yet?"

"Not really." Remus said.

"We just ate not too long ago." Harry said.

Sirius sighed, looking sullen. "Okay."

"Don't worry, we're not going to leave you out of the conversation," Remus snorted.

"I know, I know." Sirius rolled his eyes. "Tell me more about this dumb book."

* * *

They talked for so long that Harry lost track of time, which he considered a good thing. Most of the conversation consisted of Sirius and Lupin fun of each other, and Harry found he enjoyed it immensely. When he started to get hungry, Sirius seemed to know, and suggested they eat. It only took a wave of his wand and the dining room table was set with the food and everything. It looked very good, and Harry couldn't help but sit down eagerly. Lupin grinned as he did the same.

"Sirius," Harry said, a thought suddenly occurring to him. "Hasn't this all been cooking for hours?"

"Yeah," he answered confusedly, then his point seemed to dawn on him. "But it stays just how I want it. Magic, you know."

"Oh, right," Harry said, feeling stupid.

Sirius grinned at him. "Did you forget you were a wizard for a second?"

"It's weird being around magic when I'm not at Hogwarts." Harry shrugged. "I'm not allowed to use it during the summer and the Dursleys are Muggles."

"That would feel a little odd," Lupin said. "Padfoot, pass the corn."

The food was amazing, much better than anything the Dursleys would let him eat. Petunia was a good cook, but she very rarely let him have meals with the rest of the family if she worked hard on it, and definitely never let him have as much as he wanted. He found himself focusing more on the food and lesson the conversation, but neither of the old Marauders seemed to mind. It wasn't until he heard Sirius bring up the pie that he started to pay attention.

"It just showed up this morning! I don't understand it! I locked the fireplace so no one could Floo in or out, the place is practically impossible to get into, plus I locked all the doors. None of the alarms went off so no one broke in, and even if they did, who would just come in, leave us a pie, and then leave!?" He looked quite deranged.

"Maybe you're overreacting just a little bit, Sirius," Lupin said reasonably. "It's just a pie after all..."

"But the more you think about it, the creepier it sounds. I mean, just think about it for a sec. Someone got into our house, in the dead of night, and left us _a pie_."

"It is creepy," Lupin admitted. "But if that's the worst they did when they broke in, surely they can't mean you any harm. It was probably Tonks. This seems like the kind of thing she would do."

"It does," Sirius agreed, "But if it was her, I don't think she understands how much it's worrying me. I mean, what if it was some stupid Death Eater who poisoned it and thought we would be dumb enough to eat it? Or maybe it's apart of some master plan we don't know about yet-"

"Sirius," Lupin interrupted firmly. "I don't think it was Death Eaters. I think it was Tonks, or someone else who thought it would be funny. But even then, there possibly is something you should be worrying about..."

He shot an anxious look in Harry's direction, as if afraid to say it in front of him. Sirius just nudged him and said "What?", looking distressed.

"There could be a flaw in your security," Lupin said finally. "I know you're worried that maybe the pie itself had a larger purpose, but if there's some sort of chink in the armor that Tonks can find..."

"The Death Eaters can find it," Sirius finished for him. "Damn it."

Harry felt like all the air had been sucked from the room. "But if this Tonks person tells us how she did it, you can fix it, right?" he asked desperately.

"Of course," Sirius said, smiling at him, but it lacked some of it's usual warmth. "Plus, we'll have the Fidelius Charm up and running by tomorrow. That should be able to fix it, anyway." He took a deep breath. "My biggest concern would be Dumbledore. Even if the pie is harmless, and even if we cast the Fidelius Charm, if he found out he would take you away," he directed his words to Harry. "_No one_ _can know_."

Harry nodded vigorously, the seriousness of the situation becoming clear to him. "I won't tell anyone. I promise. Not even Ron and Hermione."

That seemed to appease Sirius, especially when Lupin gave a similar response. "No one can _ever _know. I'm sure this would be a deal breaker with Dumbledore even if we did everything else perfectly."

"Your secret's safe with me," Lupin said. "And I will talk to Tonks about this mysterious pie of yours. But no one else."

"Good."

Lupin was quick to change the topic after that, for which Harry was glad; he didn't like to think about the possibility of Dumbledore taking him back to the Dursleys. He might have been able to go live with them before, but now that he knew what he would be missing, he could barely stand to think about it. Somehow the discussion turned to cleaning out the house before Harry had come, and when he heard Sirius mention a house-elf helping them, he suddenly remembered what he had said in his letters.

"Where is your house-elf?" he asked. "He isn't here, is he?"

"No, definitely not," Sirius shook his head. "Kreacher... isn't very pleasant. Never has been. He was very loyal to my family- my mother, especially- and while he has to do what I tell him because I'm his master... he just isn't very fun to be around. But if you want a house-elf, we could have him come, he would have to follow your orders, too-"

"I don't really want a house-elf," Harry interjected, recalling Dobby and how the Malfoys treated him. He was sure that Sirius wouldn't do the same, but thinking about having a servant doing things for him made him uneasy, never mind how unpleasant he was. "I was just curious."

"Okay," Sirius shrugged, but he looked relieved. "Hey, what about dessert? We still have tons more cake."

"That sounds good," Harry said. As he went to get it, Lupin smiled at him.

"How do you like it here with Padfoot?"

"A lot," Harry answered truthfully. "Much better than the Dursleys."

"That's good," he looked pleased. "He really tries to make sure you're happy. I can tell from just the time I've been here."

Harry wasn't sure how to respond to that, but there was a strange warm sensation in his stomach, and Lupin didn't seem to be expecting an answer.

The cake seemed to taste even better than it did the night before.

* * *

Much later that evening, Harry was sitting cross-legged on the floor of his room, unpacking his trunk. Sirius had said yesterday that they would get his things put away today, but it seemed he had forgotten, so he'd decided he should do it himself. He was sure Sirius wouldn't mind if he didn't have his things unpacked, but he figured it would be best to do it as soon as possible. Trying not to think about packing it all back up again at the end of the week, Harry sorted some of his possessions according to what drawer they were going to go in the dresser. He was stacking his books in the bottommost one when there was a light knock on the door. He spun around and saw Sirius poking his head through.

"What are you doing?" he asked, glancing around at the chaos that was his bedroom.

"Unpacking," Harry said. "I have more stuff then I thought I did. I mean, in my room at the Dursleys' I knew where to put things, but now I have to find new places for them."

"Sounds tough," Sirius said. "You don't have to do it right now, you know. It is pretty late."

"I know. I just wanted to get it done."

"Do you want my help?"

Harry hesitated. "Only if you want to..." he said uncertainly.

"Well, I only want to if _you_ want me to," Sirius said, sounding amused. "You can just do it if you want."

Harry just shrugged, still uncertain. Sirius chuckled softly.

"That's okay. I'll be in my room if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay," Harry said, turning to his trunk again. It wasn't until Sirius spoke again that he realized he hadn't left.

"And just... if you hear anything, or see anything for that matter, come and get me."

Harry nodded, trying to figure out his tone. It was after he smiled and left when he finally placed it. Sirius was worried about him; probably that the pie person would do something other than leave them desserts. All kinds of people worried about Harry. Ron and Hermione, Ron's mother, Dumbledore, and most likely at least a few others... but it was different when it was Sirius. Harry decided that while it probably wasn't a very pleasant feeling for Sirius, it wasn't entirely unpleasant a feeling for him.

He finished filling up his dresser, but at least half the trunk was still full. He sighed, running a hand through his hair and decided it could wait until morning. Sirius was right, it _was_ late. He changed into pajamas and turned off the lights, carefully setting his glasses on the nightstand, then crawled into bed. Though he hadn't really done that much, he was still exhausted. He thought about Lupin saying Sirius wanted him to be happy and then Sirius' voice when he told him to get him if he needed anything, and felt that strange warmth in his stomach. It was incredibly easy to fall asleep after that.

* * *

When he woke the next morning, it almost felt like he hadn't slept at all, and only blinked. The sun streaming in through the window was the only indicator that any time had passed. Harry checked his watch and saw that it was almost eight. He yawned and threw the covers off, then searched through his trunk for some clean clothes and headed into the shower. It was enough to wake him up, as well as his nerves, which returned when he starting wondering if Sirius would be up. He had been yesterday, but he had woken up later then. He supposed there was only one way to find out, and quietly headed downstairs.

His godfather wasn't in the kitchen as he had been yesterday morning, nor was he in the sitting room or dining room, so he guessed he was still asleep. It felt very strange, being by himself in the giant house. It was so quiet, and seemed even larger than it did before. His stomach rumbled, interrupting his thoughts and reminding him about breakfast. He thought about making himself a bowl of cereal (given that they had cereal and he could actually find it), but he wasn't sure if Sirius would want to eat together as they had done the day before. He eventually decided on the cereal, and hoped Sirius wouldn't come downstairs to see him opening all of the cupboards. He finally found a few boxes in one of the highest ones, even if he didn't recognize any of the brands. He poured himself a bowl and was sitting down at the counter when he saw it; another package, similar to the pie from yesterday.

Harry carefully unwrapped it to reveal what looked like a cobbler of some sort. He quickly returned it to the it was and pushed it slightly away from him just to be safe. Last night, Sirius and Remus had examined the pie quite extensively, but determined that it wasn't enchanted or charmed or anything except a normal pie. Sirius had shut it in one of the cabinets and glared at it for a full five minutes before Harry headed upstairs to bed. He seemed unwilling to throw it away, which Harry understood, but it also seemed foolish to keep it out.

Harry was finishing his cereal when Sirius appeared at the foot of the stairs. "Hey," he said, smiling.

"Hey," Harry said. "There's another pie."

"You're kidding," Sirius exclaimed, hurrying over to him. "Damn!"

"Who do you reckon is sending them?" Harry asked as Sirius checked out the cobbler.

"Hopefully it's just Tonks," he said gruffly, but he looked worried. He set it in the cabinet with the other pie and mumbled a spell.

"Maybe we should eat it," Harry suggested, then laughed at Sirius expression.

Sirius just shook his head and reached for a box of cereal. "Is that a big enough breakfast for you?" he asked, nodding at his bowl.

"Yeah," Harry said. He had had much smaller meals before when he was with the Dursleys.

Sirius looked doubtful, but didn't say anything about it. "Tonight the Weasleys are coming over." he informed him.

"They are?" Harry asked brightly. He would enjoy seeing Ron again; even though it had only been two days since he had left Hogwarts it felt like weeks.

"Yep. The Tonks and Remus, too," Sirius grinned. "We're going to choose a Secret-Keeper and they're going to tell everyone else the Secret."

"That sounds fun," Harry said evenly. "Do people usually have parties when they choose a Secret-Keeper?"

"Well it's not a party," Sirius said amusedly. "I think Dumbledore might come too."

"Oh," Harry said, suddenly reluctant. It wasn't that he had anything against Dumbledore, but their last meeting hadn't been entirely pleasant, and he really didn't want word of the mysterious pies getting out.

"It'll be fun, though," Sirius assured him. "You can show Ron and the others the house."

Harry smiled at the idea. It did sound nice, and if they were lucky, this whole pie business would be over when they cast the Fidelius Charm.

They didn't do much that day. Harry finished unpacking his things, then found Sirius in the study, cleaning up some of the old things that had been in the house.

"Are you throwing all of this out?" Harry asked incredulously as he looked at his reflection in a large platter that was most definitely made of real silver.

"I think so," Sirius said. "I can't think of anyone who would want this crap, can you?"

"Maybe you could sell it," he suggested carefully.

"Maybe," Sirius said, sounding like he was actually considering it. "Some of this could go for a lot. I mean, between the two of us we have quite a bit of money, but..." he shrugged. "It couldn't _hurt_ to have a little more."

Harry grinned.

They spent the rest of the day in the study. Sirius told him it was boring and he didn't have to help and so on, but Harry could tell he was pleased to have company, and it wasn't as tedious as he made it out to be. It wasn't until late afternoon when Harry realized they hadn't eaten in several hours. Sirius seemed distraught that they'd missed lunch, but Harry insisted he hadn't been hungry anyway. Still, Sirius fixed a big early dinner for them that they were just finishing when Harry heard voices in coming from the sitting room.

"Looks like the Weasleys are here," Harry said when Mrs. Weasley raised her voice to yell at the twins.

Sirius grinned at him. "I'll take the dishes into the kitchen."

"I can take my own," Harry said insistently.

Sirius gave him a look, but allowed him to take his own plate and silverware from the dining room.

"Harry!" Ron exclaimed when he saw him. Behind him, Fred and George were receiving a stern scolding from their mother; what about he didn't want to know. Ginny was admiring the beautifully carved coffee table, and Percy was standing politely by the fireplace.

"Ron!" Harry said, grinning at him.

"Oh, Harry, dear," Mrs. Weasley noticed his presence and hurried over to hug him. "It's so good to see you! How are you liking it here?"

"It's great," Harry said truthfully. He heard Sirius walking up behind him.

"There you are!" Mrs. Weasley said happily. "Molly Weasley, Ron's mother."

"It's good to meet you," Sirius grinned, shaking her hand. "Harry, why don't show your friends the house?"

"Yeah, yeah, show us everything!" Ron said excitedly. "Where's you room?"

"I'll show it to you," Harry laughed, gesturing to the others.

* * *

_A/N: Sorry about the abrupt ending. I want to keep a weekly update schedule, and this was the best place to end it without having to wait another day or so. Hope you enjoyed it! xoxo_


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Yay, another update! So sorry about the delay... I still have much to learn about writing on a schedule. In my defense, the Fourth of July snuck up on me and I was really busy for a few days. This is also my shortest chapter yet. Sorry! Hopefully I'll be able to make it longer next time. Again, thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited! I appreciate every single one of you! And now, on to the story..._

* * *

Ron, Fred, George, Ginny, and Percy were in awe of the mansion. They sort of reminded him of himself when he visited the Burrow two years ago, except he also thought the house was wonderful. After they had toured most of it, excluding some of the downstairs where Sirius and their parents were, they retired to his room. Fred catapulted himself on his bed upon entering the room, then saw the window-wall and gasped.

"Harry, let me come live with you."

"Me too," George added. "We'll even be your personal servants."

"I don't think that would be necessary," Harry said amusedly. "I wouldn't mind if you lived here."

"I want to, too," Ron said, wide-eyed. "Are we making plans? I'll make sure Mum doesn't get in the way."

"I don't want to know how you were planning to do that," Harry said. "But seriously, I'm pretty sure Sirius wouldn't mind if you came to stay whenever you wanted."

"Who says we weren't being serious?" Fred asked.

Percy shot him a look. "Thank you for the invitation, Harry, but if you tell them they can come over whenever they want you'll regret it."

"Whatever," Harry rolled his eyes, sitting down on the bed beside him. Ginny walked over to the window to stare outside. She hadn't talked much while they were walking around. Harry knew she had a thing for him, and it made her very shy around him, which only got worse after he saved her life at the end of his second year. He could tell she was impressed, though, even without words.

"Is Hermione coming?" Ron asked casually as he pushed his brother onto the floor to sit beside Harry.

"I don't think so," Harry said. "Sirius hasn't mentioned her."

"This place is amazing, Harry," Ron said, gazing around the room as he spoke.

Harry sighed. "I know."

"Your tone doesn't match your words," Fred said wisely as he grabbed Ron's ankles and attempted to pull him off the bed.

"Yeah, I know that too," Harry said. "I just... Dumbledore came to see us. The day we got here."

"I take it he didn't come to wish you a good summer," George said.

"No, he didn't. He said that... I might have to go back to the Dursleys. He's given Sirius a week to prove he can keep me safe."

Everyone stared at him. "Back to the Dursleys?" Ron asked incredulously. "How are you more safe with them?"

"I told you about the blood bond, right? Well, it only works when I live with the Durlseys or something like that," Harry crossed his arms, starting to get angry and frustrated at just the thought of it.

"Well that's a bummer," Fred said cheerfully as he finally succeeded in pulling one of Ron's shoes off. "Sirius will just have to keep you safe for a week, then. How hard can it be? You've already been here for three days."

The mystery pies crossed his mind, but Harry kept his mouth shut. Ron joined Fred on the floor in an attempt to retrieve his shoe. Ginny was staring at him now with an expression that was close to pity. "Let's change the subject," Harry said abruptly. "Anything but this."

"Fine," George said, sitting down crosslegged on the floor as his brothers had what appeared to be a wrestling match nearby. "Are you going to the Quidditch World Cup?"

Harry perked up instantly. "The what?"

"The Quidditch World Cup!" George said impatiently, waving his arms for dramatic effect. "It's only the most anticipated event in the entire Wizarding World."

"He lived with Muggles," Ron's muffled voice came from underneath Fred. "He's like a Muggleborn; he doesn't understand normal things."

"That's insulting to every Muggleborn," Harry huffed. "And I think there's enough information in the name to tell me what it is."

"Well, are you going?" George persisted.

"I don't know. Sirius hasn't said anything about it."

"You should ask him," George said. "Dad usually gets tickets from work."

"Okay," Harry said carefully, but he knew that he wouldn't. After everything Sirius had done for him, turning around and asking for even more seemed incredibly ungrateful.

Ron emerged from the fight looking disgruntled and plopped back on the bed, grumbling and putting his shoe back on. Fred was grinning when he sat down next to George.

"Do you think we should go back downstairs?" Percy asked. "I don't want to miss them choosing the Secret-Keeper."

"Sure," Harry said. "Let's go."

* * *

As soon as the kids disappeared up the stairs, Molly said, "It's really great that you took Harry in."

"Thanks," Sirius smiled. "I think he's having a good time."

"He hasn't been any trouble, has he?" Arthur asked. "He was always polite when he came to stay at our house."

"Not at all. He's a great kid," Sirius assured him. "Would you like some wine?"

"No, thank you," Molly said, smiling politely.

"That would be nice," Arthur said.

Sirius smiled, and led them into the kitchen."Remus should be here any time now," he informed them as he took the wine from it's cabinet.

"I only have red," he apologized.

"That's fine," Arthur said. "Is Remus the one that taught at Hogwarts?"

"That's the one," Sirius said cheerfully. "He's a good friend of mine."

"Isn't he a werewolf?" Molly asked.

Sirius stiffened slightly. "Yes, he is." He turned around and smiled somewhat forcibly at them.

"And that's perfectly okay," Arthur said quickly, glancing at his wife. Sirius smiled again. Luckily, he was saved the trouble of responding as he heard a large swoosh and footsteps coming from the other room.

"Remus!" he exclaimed in relief, going to embrace him. "Come talk to the Weasleys and convince them how great we are," he told him under his breath.

Remus nodded knowingly and made his way over to Molly and Arthur. "Remus Lupin, I taught some of your kids, I believe."

"Yes, I think you did," Molly said, seeming pleasantly surprised. "I'm Molly Weasley. This is my husband, Arthur."

"Pleasure to meet you," Arthur said.

"You too," Remus smiled. Just then, there was more noise in the sitting room, and Sirius heard Tonks' voice and then a loud crash.

"I'll get them," Sirius said, biting back a laugh at Molly's expression.

Tonks was sitting on the ground where she had obviously fallen, not looking too troubled by it. Her hair was bright bubble-gum pink as usual, and her face lit up when she saw him. "Siri! You should move your flower pot."

"I'll think about that," Sirius grinned. "All right, Ted, Andy?"

"All right," Ted said, smiling. "Are we the first ones here?"

"No, they're in the kitchen," Sirius said. "Tonks, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure," she said brightly as her parents disappeared into the kitchen. "What do you need?"

Sirius put a hand on her back and led her into the dining room, where the voices of the other guests were muffled. "Listen... did Moony talk to you about the, um, thing?" he said in a lowered voice.

"The crazy pie thing, you mean?" she asked loudly.

"Be quiet!" Sirius hissed. "Look, did you do it?"

"Nope!" she said. "But I promise I will find the creeper who did."

"No, no you won't," Sirius informed her. "You won't tell anyone, not even your parents. If you find anyone who you think may have did it, you will tell me or Remus."

Tonks rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine. Why are you freaking out about this anyway? It's just a pie."

Sirius gave her a dark look, and she said, "All right, all right, whatever. I'm going to go have wine."

The group talked for quite a while, but Sirius wasn't as into the conversation as he usually would have been. He knew he was glancing at the clock more often than was necessary, but he couldn't help it. He told Dumbledore to come at 6:00, and he never forgot things like that. Still, it was almost 6:15. Once, Moony caught his eye across the counter and mouthed "It'll be okay." Sirius smiled and nodded, but still felt worried. When he finally heard the telltale swoosh of the fire, he all but sprinted into the sitting room, where Dumbledore was standing in his usual plum colored robes.

"Ah, Sirius! Apologies about my lateness; the Minister has insisted I meet with him quite frequently lately," he said, smiling. "How have things been?"

"Perfect," Sirius only half lied. "Everything's going great. We haven't had any Death Eaters come knocking. After tonight, we shouldn't have any problems at all. I even thought that we could have everyone leave at different times so if someone's been watching people close to Harry, they won't think we've been meeting anywhere."

"That's very clever, Sirius," Dumbledore said. "Was it Remus' idea?"

"Maybe," Sirius said. "Everyone's in the kitchen. I'll get the kids; Harry's showing them the house."

"Wonderful!" Dumbledore said happily. "In fact, you may not have to."

Sirius turned around to see his godson and several gingers descending the staircase. Harry looked a little overwhelmed by all the people in the room. Sirius hurried over to him, leaving Dumbledore to his own devices.

"Harry!" he exclaimed. "Here, I want you to meet some people."

He started to lead him to where Tonks was standing, but she saw them and bounded over to them, grinning widely.

"This must be Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived!" she said excitedly.

"That's me," Harry said, looking a little alarmed. Sirius couldn't blame him, the hair and the bubbliness took some getting used to.

"Oh, Sirius, he looked just like I imagined him," she said. "Remus says you play Quidditch?"

"Yeah, Seeker for Gryffindor," Harry said.

"Beater, Hufflepuff," Tonks said. "The best House. but I guess Seeker's an okay position. And almost everyone here is from Gryffindor, so I guess I shouldn't be talking bad about it unless I wanna get beat up."

"That's right," Sirius said. "Where's your mum, Dora?"

"It's Tonks," she said, her hair turning slightly pink as it always did when someone called her by her first name. "And don't you dare tell him-"

"Her real name is Nymphadora," Sirius explained, enjoying the look on his cousin's face. "She just doesn't like it."

"I _hate_ it," Tonks grumbled. "And you would too if your fool of a mother named you _Nymphadora_..."

"What is it you said about me?" Andromeda appeared out of thin air next to her daughter, smiling easily.

"I was just telling Harry how bad you are at choosing names," Tonks said, looking disgruntled.

Andy laughed. "I think half of the country knows you think that."

"It's not just something I think; it's true," Tonks insisted.

"If you say so," Andromeda smiled. "Hello, Harry, I'm Andromeda."

"Hi," Harry said, seeming a little perplexed at the conversation's turn.

"Sirius has told us a lot about you," she said warmly. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"You too," Harry said, smiling. Sirius could see him looking the two over, trying to make sense of how they could be related. Tonks was easy-going and carefree and like to dress mostly in black that contrasted with her brightly colored hair; whereas Andromeda had a much plainer kind of beauty, with the heavily lidded eyes and large amount of hair.

"We should get started in a few minutes," Sirius said. "Where's Ted?"

"Over with Arthur Weasley," Andy said, nodding over to where the two appeared to be in an intense discussion.

"Okay, we'll get to him after," Sirius said. "Harry, can we talk for a second?"

"Sure," Harry looked surprised. Sirius led him over to the counter, away from everyone. Remus saw them and smiled encouragingly at him. Sirius scowled and turned away.

"So, who do you think would be a good Secret-Keeper?" he asked unconcernedly.

Harry blinked. "You haven't chosen someone?"

"Well, we have, but it would be nice to hear what you think," Sirius said. "It's you we're doing all this for, after all."

"Okay," Harry said carefully. "Well, Professor Lupin would be too obvious, and easy to find since the Ministry probably had information on werewolves."

"The exact reason we didn't consider him for your parents' house, or for this one," Sirius said approvingly. "What about Tonks?"

"She wouldn't give us up, I'm sure," Harry said evenly. "But she seems a little... eccentric. Not the kind of person who you want keeping an important secret."

"Again, my thoughts exactly," Sirius grinned. "The Weasleys?"

Harry thought for a moment. "Well, I know Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and I know they would do it if we asked them... but they wouldn't be too happy about it. And Ron and the others are too young, right?"

"It's illegal to have an underage Secret-Keeper," Sirius agreed. "And I'm sure Percy would be in the same boat as his parents."

"So that leaves Tonks' parents," Harry said thoughtfully. "I don't really know them that well."

"I trust them, obviously, otherwise they wouldn't be here," Sirius said. "But you're missing someone."

Harry frowned, then it dawned on him. "Dumbledore."

"Yep," Sirius said. "Death Eaters would be expecting him, but he would be a very secure choice. He would never reveal our secret."

"So are you picking him?" Harry asked.

"It would seem so," Sirius said mysteriously. "I'll get everyone together so we can talk to them. Come with me?"

"Okay," Harry said, and followed closely behind him as he walked to the other side of the room and cleared his throat. Everyone was quick to quiet down except for the twins, who continued their fervent conversation in hushed tones until Molly smacked one of them on the side of the head.

Sirius bit back a laugh and instead said, "So, I'm sure no one will object if I ask Dumbledore to come upstairs with us."

No one seemed very surprised, and Fred and George returned to their former discussion almost immediately. Remus came up with Dumbledore and smiled at Sirius. "Ready?" he asked.

"Of course," Sirius said, then in a lower voice, "Am I doing the right thing, Moony?"

Remus rolled his eyes. "You _are_, idiot. Come on."

* * *

Harry wasn't sure how he felt about having Dumbledore as their Secret-Keeper, but he supposed Sirius knew better than him when it came to that sort of thing. Sirius led him, Dumbledore, and Lupin up to the study. Some of the boxes from the last time he had been there were missing, but there were still quite a few stacked in the corners and on the desks.

"Should we get started?" Dumbledore asked pleasantly.

Sirius sighed. "Actually, I need to explain."

"Explain what, exactly?" Dumbledore looked politely puzzled.

"Padfoot and I... had a plan," Lupin said, exchanging glances with Sirius. "Having a decoy didn't work with James and Lily, but we're sure that you aren't a traitor, and neither is the person who we were thinking about actually having. And no one will expect that we'll have a similar plan after what happened last time..."

He looked uneasy, and Harry felt a sudden sense of foreboding. "Who were you thinking of?" he asked hesitantly.

"They aren't here," Sirius said, "but we won't use them unless you think it's a good idea, Harry."

"Okay," he said confusedly.

"We were thinking your friend, Hermione Granger," Lupin said.

Harry was taken aback. "Hermione?"

"Like we said, no one is expecting us to use the same trick twice," Sirius said. "And especially not with an underage witch with Muggle parents. _You_," he noddded at Dumbledore, "would be a reasonable Secret-Keeper. It's perfectly believable that we would choose you, and there's no reason not to. But while everyone thinks it's you, it's actually Hermione, safe at Hogwarts for most of the year."

"You make good points," Dumbledore said, "but wouldn't it be better if we just did the spell with me? Sometimes it's safer to just be straightforward and _not_ try to trick everyone. Besides, Miss Granger is currently in the Muggle community. How do you plan to do this?"

"We were thinking of meeting her in Diagon Alley tomorrow," Sirius said. "And then if she thinks it's a good idea, we could bring her back here to do the spell."

"It seems very risky,' Dumbledore said. "Not to mention illegal."

"That's why we won't tell anyone," Sirius insisted. "And she's smart enough to know what she would be getting into."

"Perhaps," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "If you think it would be best. And of course if Harry agrees."

Sirius and Lupin turned to him simultaneously. Harry was still trying to wrap his mind around the whole situation, but the more he thought about it, the more sense it made. "I guess if you think it's a good idea..."

"You don't sound sure," Lupin said.

"I am," Harry said, more certain now. "Let's do it."

Sirius grinned and said to Dumbledore, "Of course, if she decides she doesn't want to do it, we an just have you come back, right?"

"Yes, yes," Dumbledore said, then sighed. "I feel obligated to remind you that I offered to become the Secret-Keeper for James, but he turned me down for a 'foolproof' plan."

"We won't make the same mistake again," Sirius promised. "Hermione is no more a Death Eater than me, right, Harry?"

Harry nodded.

"That settles it, then," Lupin said. "Harry will write to Hermione and meet at Diagon Alley and everything will be fine."

"Shall we go downstairs and tell the others we did the enchantment?" Sirius suggested.

"If you must," Dumbledore said grudgingly.

Sirius gave a blinding smile and bounded out of the room, Harry close behind.

* * *

The next morning Harry was laying on the couch with _A Game of Thrones_ again when Sirius came over to him and said, "We're going shopping."

"Are we?" Harry made a face. Sirius laughed.

"Yes. While Muggle clothes have their benefits, you seem to be lacking in wizard's robes," he said.

"I didn't really need any before," Harry said. "Are we going to Diagon Alley?"

"Course," Sirius said. "Has Hermione written you back?"

"No," he said. "Hedwig probably got to her house in the middle of the night. She'll meet us there."

"Okay," Sirius answered, coming to sit in one of the armchairs. "And even if she doesn't we can go again a different time."

Harry smiled at him and returned to his book. "Are you still reading that same one?" Sirius voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Trying to," Harry said, then instantly regretted it as Sirius looked rather taken aback. He opened his mouth again, but Sirius burst out laughing.

"Sorry," he said, grinning. "Continue reading."

Harry knew his face must be red. "Sorry," he mumbled. "When are we going to Diagon Alley?"

"Sometime before noon," Sirius said casually. "What else do you need?"

"I don't know," Harry answered truthfully. "The school lists come a lot later in the summer."

"I know, I mean things you want," Sirius said amusedly. "What are some things you want? You know, for yourself."

Harry thought hard. "I... have no idea."

Sirius heaved a sigh. "Okay. I guess I'll just have to buy everything from all the stores, then."

"No," Harry said, sure he was even more flushed now. "I'll think of something."

"You better," Sirius winked at him. "I already got you a Firebolt."

"Yeah, and a house and lots more," Harry said. "I don't want you to get me anything else."

Sirius seemed surprised. "It's no trouble. Honestly."

Harry swallowed, focusing back on the book without really comprehending the words. He could feel Sirius watching him. "Just let me know when you're ready to go," he said distantly, getting up. Harry hoped he hadn't destroyed everything by telling him he didn't want anything. He didn't want to seem like he didn't appreciate all the things he'd done for him... but he also really didn't want to take any more money or time from his godfather. "We can go now if you want," he said, trying to forget the conversation.

"All right," Sirius said cheerfully. "Come on, we have to Apparate outside of the property."

Fie minutes later found them at The Leaky Cauldron, which was packed with it's usual crowd of witches and wizards their multicolored robes and hats. Tom the barman smiled lopsidedly at them as they passed. "Good to see you again, Black! Care for a drink?"

"No thanks, Tom," Sirius said. "Just headed to Diagon Alley today."

The exchange seemed to have caught the attention of everyone else in the room. Several people stared openly at them as they made their way through the little pub. Some of them were a bit more discreet; sneaking glances at them and whispering among themselves. There was a pair of middle-aged witches muttering in the corner that glared darkly at Sirius as they passed, but shot Harry sympathetic looks. Harry wrote them off as some of the idiots who still believed that Sirius was guilty. He sped up and kept close to Sirius and tried to avoid their gazes. Sirius tapped his wand on the brick wall outside of the building and the enchanted bricks moved of their own accord to reveal Diagon Alley. The street bustled as it always did with life and people and even animals.

"I think we'll stop by Madam Malkins first," Sirius said loudly in order to be heard over the din. "But before that Gringotts."

"Okay," Harry said. He'd written to Hermione to meet them at Flourish and Blotts; her favorite store there; around noon. It was still a few hours until then, but he wasn't sure what Sirius planned on doing until then.

The goblins at Gringotts didn't pay as much attention to them as everyone else, for which Harry was grateful. They were able to get into and out of the Blacck vault without too much difficulty. Someone waiting in the lobby afterward recognized them and whispering excitedly to the person with them. Harry determinedly walked past them without looking at them and they emerged back into the alley.

"What kind of clothes do you want?" Sirius asked when they were back in the sunlight.

"I don't know," Harry said for what felt like the millionth time. "I've never gotten robes before except for Hogwarts."

"Okay," Sirius said thoughtfully. "I know what you want. Come on, maybe we can hit Madam Malkins before the breakfast crowd from the Leaky Cauldron gets here."

Looking for wizard clothes was very different then looking for Muggle clothes, but in ways also much simpler. There were different styles of robes and different colors, and then of course you had to find one that fit you, as there was no way to really size them. Harry didn't enjoy himself much, but they bought little.

After, Sirius asked him, "Where to next?"

Harry was startled. "I don't know," he said yet again.

"Do you need anything for your broom? We could go to Quality Quidditch Supplies." he suggested.

"Okay," Harry said, not knowing where else to go. He already had a great a broomstick and a cleaning kit for it, but the store was one of his favorites, so he allowed Sirius to drag him in. He said he had been thinking about buying a broom himself, and showed him all the models that he had been considering. At one point, Draco Malfoy walked in; luckily alone; and Harry's eyes followed him as he went up to the cash register and spoke to the man operating it. After a little bit he produced a large box from under the counter and Malfoy produced several golden Galleons from his pocket. They exchanged and he left looking extremely smug. Harry assumed it must be some expensive broom care kit he had ordered, or something similar.

"Who's that?"

Harry looked away to see Sirius had been watching him. "Malfoy," he said. "He didn't notice me, thank god."

"Ah, Malfoy," Sirius said wisely. "He does have their signature look about him. Would you like to follow him?"

"Not really," Harry said, laughing. "Have you picked a broom yet?"

Sirius shook his head. "It's too hard of a choice. I'll buy one from the ads in the Daily Prophet later. Shall we go?"

"Where?" Harry asked warily, hoping he wasn't going to ask him to choose again.

"I thought maybe to Florean Fortescue's, if you're hungry," Sirius said. "And then after that Flourish and Blotts."

"That sounds good," Harry said truthfully. "Ice cream is always good. Sometimes Florean lets me get free sundaes."

"That sounds even better," Sirius said. "Let's go."

* * *

_A/N:__ Again, so so so so sorry for the lateness of this chapter. And as I said before, it's also a little shorter than usual. Obviously I had a bad week. _

_Please review! xoxo_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Greetings, everyone! I have returned with another update. I was sick for a few days this week so ya'll better be grateful. (Just kidding!) As usual, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited. Enjoy!_

* * *

Florean Fortescue was so ecstatic about having Harry and Sirius in his store that he informed them they were allowed to have as many ice creams as they desired. Not everyone in the shop was as pleased, though. Harry avoided looking at them and suggested they eat their cones outside instead. Sirius agreed wholeheartedly. They walked down Diagon Alley, watching all the different people with their magical merchandise. At least, Harry was. It felt weird being around wizards so often during the summer. Usually his time away from Hogwarts was a complete separation form all magic; it was like living two different lives. It was strange knowing he may never have to go back to living like that. Of course, he could also have to return to the Dursleys and possibly never be happy again... that could be an exaggeration, but still. He didn't like to think about it.

"Need anything for Hedwig?" Sirius asked as they passed the Magical Menagerie.

"Not really," Harry said. His thoughts consequently drifted to Hermione and the plan that Sirius had hatched for their Secret-Keeper situation. There had been a nagging fear in the back of mind since last night that it wasn't going to work. Should they have just chosen Dumbledore instead? It would have been a secure choice. He knew that although he wasn't happy about Sirius taking him in, he would never give away their secret. Besides, what if Hermione didn't want to do it? He knew she would be glad to help, but she was just a teenage girl. He thought again of Dumbledore taking him away to the Dursleys and suddenly felt very depressed despite being surrounded by the world he had always so desperately wished to be apart of.

"It's almost noon," Sirius said. "We could go to Flourish and Blotts now, if you want."

"Sure," Harry said.

When they reached the bookstore, Sirius made to go inside, but one of the ladies working there saw that he had ice cream and glared at him through the window, so they were forced to finish before going in. After finally entering, the same woman looked at them with the same malice as before. Harry wrote her off as one of the people who believed that Sirius wasn't innocent and ignored her. Flourish and Blotts was less crowded then all the other times he had seen it. He realized that all the times he had been here was right after the Hogwarts lists had been sent to the students. Now, the store was sparsely populated and the shelves were full of books. Harry didn't see Hermione anywhere; but it wasn't noon yet.

"She's not here," Harry said.

"That's fine," Sirius said, then lowered his voice. "I have something to tell you when she gets here."

"Okay..." Harry said, looking at him curiously.

"Do you want any books?" Sirius asked, obviously trying to sound uninterested.

"Maybe," Harry said. He wasn't one for reading a whole lot. Hermione had introduced him to the Muggle book _A Game of Thrones_, but it was one of the first books he'd read voluntarily for a long time. He told Sirius this.

"Well, maybe we'll find the second one," he said. "It's a series, right?"

"Yeah," Harry said, "but it's a Muggle series, so they probably don't have it."

"You would be surprised," Sirius said. "What's it called?"

Conflicted, Harry bit his lip. "Um... _Clash of Kings_."

"I'll keep an eye out for it," Sirius said. Harry nodded awkwardly.

"Do you want me to ask someone if they have it?" he asked. Harry looked at him in horror until he realized he was smiling. "I'm kidding, Har."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "_Har_?"

"My new nickname for you," Sirius said indifferently.

"It makes me sound like a weird laugh. Har har."

"Fine, I'll find a different nickname."

Harry frowned. "I don't want a nickname." he huffed.

"Too bad," Sirius said, grinning. "How about... Prongslet?"

Harry wrinkled his nose. "That's even worse."

Sirius laughed his signature bark-like laugh. "Okay, I'll keep thinking."

"No, don't."

"I am."

"No."

"Harry!"

They both looked behind them to see Hermione running toward them, beaming. Harry didn't have any time to react before she catapulted herself into his arms.

"It's so good to see you!" she gushed. "How have you been? Merlin, it's only been a few days, hasn't it? It feels like an eternity, doesn't it? Oh, hello, Sirius!"

"Hello," Sirius said amusedly.

"Hermione," Harry said in a strangled voice. "You're choking me."

"Sorry!" she cried, releasing him. Her hair was as bushy as ever, her eyes sparkling. "You have to tell me everything," she insisted eagerly.

"Okay, okay," Harry said. "How have _you_ been?"

"Oh, wonderful," she said excitedly. "But I've been normal, you know? But you can't have been normal, right?"

"I guess," Harry said, bewildered.

"It's good to see you again, Hermione," Sirius said. Harry supposed it would be; she had helped bring Pettigrew to the castle to clear his name.

"Yeah," she said, smiling widely. "Where have you gone so far today?"

"Just to Madam Malkin's, Quality Quidditch and for some ice cream," Sirius said. "We assumed you'd want to meet here."

"I do love this store," she admitted. "I was thinking of getting some books on Transfiguration so I could catch up before school starts again."

"The year just ended, Hermione," Harry said in amusement.

"It's never too early too start studying," she said seriously.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"Have you been reading the book I gave you?" she asked him as they started walking.

"Yeah, it's good," Harry said.

"It must be, he never puts it down," Sirius said.

Harry scowled. "That's not true."

Hermione giggled. "I can send you the second one if you want. I have it."

"Thanks," Harry said, smiling. He suddenly noticed the lady from earlier was glaring at the back of Hermione's head. "Why don't we go to the Transfiguration section, then?" he suggested.

Hermione looked confused and glanced behind her, then said "Okay."

Once Hermione got the books she wanted, they left for the Gambol and Jape's Joke Shop. Sirius seemed to enjoy himself there and told them stories about the Marauders' pranks on Snape. Harry had almost forgotten that Sirius had said there was something he needed to tell them until they were in the corner with the dungbomb display. Hermione had wandered over to the fake objects section, probably to see if they would be any help to her Transfiguratioin study. Sirius glanced fervently around them, then said quietly, "Remember when I told you I had to tell you something?"

Harry looked up at him. "Yes?"

He waited for a young couple to pass them. "Hermione's not going to be the Secret-Keeper," he said softly.

Harry's eyes widened. "She's not?"

"Nope," he said, examining the Dungbomb Bulk Package.

"Who is, then?" Harry asked breathlessly.

"Me," Sirius said simply.

"You?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Of course," Sirius glanced around them again. "It's a general rule not to have a Secret-Keeper be the person who lives inside the house or building, in case said person can't leave the house and needs to tell someone the Secret. But I'm not the one who needs protected, so it should be all right."

"I still don't understand," Harry said. "You told Dumbledore it was going to be Hermione."

"I did," Sirius agreed. "And he wasn't very happy about it. He might have seemed okay with it last night, but I received a very disappointed letter this morning."

"He changed your mind?" Harry asked confusedly.

"No, this was the plan all along," Sirius said. "Everyone thinks it's Dumbledore, Dumbledore thinks it's Hermione, and it's really me."

"That sounds confusing," Harry said. "Who all knows?"

"Me, Remus, and now you," he said. "We didn't necessarily _have_ to meet Hermione, but I thought you'd be glad to see her. We can tell her it's Dumbledore, too, if you want."

"Okay," Harry said, still surprised about this turn of events.

"Or we could tell her and Ron," Sirius said slyly. "If you want. I know you trust them."

"Yeah, I do," Harry said. "But it might be too risky."

"You could be right," Sirius shrugged. "It's your call. You want anything from here?" he asked abruptly, gesturing around them.

"No," Harry said automatically. Sirius gave him the look he always did when he turned something down, and as usual, he felt strangely guilty.

"Sorry," he mumbled. Sirius looked at him oddly, but didn't say anything, which made him feel worse.

"Are you guys hungry?" Hermione appeared from behind a shelf.

Ten minutes later they were in the Leaky Cauldron after their late lunch. Hermione had told her parents to meet her there at 3, so they spent their time until then talking about their plans for the summer. The Grangers were going to visit relatives for a few weeks, and Hermione was worried that it would be hard to keep her magical abilities a secret from all of them. Harry doubted it would be difficult at all; she was one of the most resourceful people he knew. If something came up, he was sure it wouldn't be a problem. When her parents finally came to pick her up Sirius seemed happy to meet them and they talked for a long time, leaving Harry and Hermione to their own devices. Harry could feel Hermione's eyes on him as he watched Sirius and her parents.

"How have you been?" she asked him evenly, her face a careful mask.

"I told you," Harry answered.

"Yeah, when he was here," Hermione said, glancing at Sirius.

"It's been great, really," Harry assured her. She was looking at him funny. Harry rolled his eyes. "_I'm fine._"

"Then what's wrong?" she asked him, looking concerned.

"Nothing!" Harry said. "What are you talking about?"

"You just seem... sad," Hermione observed. "I don't think it's Sirius, though, you seem to like him well enough."

"Of course I do," he scoffed, but thought hard. Besides being worried about going back to the Dursleys, and the mysterious pies, and Sirius being mad at him, he was perfectly fine.

Hermione gave him a look. "You didn't buy anything?"

"No," Harry said, surprised at the conversation's sudden turn. "I didn't want anything."

Hermione studied him. "Or maybe you didn't want Sirius to buy you anything," she decided.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "That's not it."

"It isn't?" she asked mildly.

"Hermione!" Mr. Granger called. "It think it's time to go or we'll be late for grandma, and you know how that goes."

"Okay, bye Harry," Hermione said, grabbing her bags. "Maybe you should try accepting something from him once in a while," she said in a low voice. Harry watched them go with mixed emotions.

"Something wrong?" Sirius asked him as he sat back down.

"No, I'm fine," Harry said, thinking about what Hermione had said.

"Want to go home?" Sirius asked him.

"Okay," he said. Nearly the entire pub watched them as they left, their eyes either curious, angry, or sad.

When they returned to the mansion, Lupin was sitting in the kitchen with the _Daily Prophet. __"_Hello Harry," he said, smiling. "I trust Sirius told you what's going on?"

"Yeah," Harry said uneasily. "Are you going to do the spell?"

"I think so," Lupin looked expectantly at Sirius.

"The Fidelius Charm requires someone significant to the house," Sirius said. "And since I'm being the Secret-Keeper, that would be you. Is that okay?"

"Sure," Harry said in surprise.

"Moony will do the actual spell. We should do it as soon as possible because of Dumbledore," he said, glancing around as if afraid the headmaster would appear from the shadows.

* * *

The next morning, Sirius was almost afraid to go downstairs. He crept softly down the staircase; as if that would help; and peered into the kitchen. His stomach dropped to the ground when he saw the mockingly pristine saran-wrapped pie defiantly sitting on the counter. Anger filled his chest. It wasn't fair. He had worked hard to get their lives back, and he wasn't going to be defeated by a couple of pies. He quickly placed it in the cabinet with the other three and took a deep breath. Maybe the Fidelius Charm was overrated. He glanced at the clock. Harry wasn't up yet, so he knew he should make breakfast, but he was never a good cook, and he didn't know what he would want. He seemed to like eggs, but he supposed he should make something else. That's when he remembered that the Leaky Cauldron sometimes sold donuts before noon later in the week. Due to the remote but distinct possibility that Harry could wake up while he was gone, Sirius left him a note and Apparated away.

When he returned, Harry was sitting on the couch with a Charms textbook and parchment. He smiled when he saw him come in.

"Hungry?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah," Harry said eagerly, standing up. "Donuts?"

"Yep," he said. "Homework?"

"Harry wrinkled his nose. "Charms. I have so many essays to do. Hermione sent Hedwig back this morning. She said I should just get them all done as soon as I can, but I'm having second thoughts."

Sirius laughed. "I never did any of the summer homework. Remus got so mad at me." He handed him a donut and they dug in.

"There wasn't a pie today?" Harry asked hopefully.

Sirius choose his words carefully. "Actually, there was. Yesterday, too."

Harry looked crestfallen. "Oh. The Fidelius Charm didn't work?"

"No, it worked," Sirius said, recalling last night when he and Remus were both unable to say "Lakeshore Mansion" or anything revealing about it's location. They fell into an uneasy silence, the implication behind his words hanging heavy in the air.

"So who do you think is bringing them?" Harry asked quietly.

Sirius sighed. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "But we'll figure it out."

Harry nodded, focusing back on his donut. He was quiet, as usual. Sirius found it endearing, but more recently also slightly concerning. Moony had said he wasn't an incredibly quiet person, and while he did seem to be getting more comfortable around him, he was always closed off and still didn't talk much.

"Thanks," Harry lifted up his donut.

"You're welcome," Sirius said, smiling softly. "Do you want another one?"

"No thanks," Harry said. A hand suddenly flew to his head, wincing.

"All right?" Sirius asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Harry said, breathing hard. He rubbed his scar with wide eyes.

"Does your _scar_ hurt?" he asked incredulously.

"It does sometimes," Harry said, lowering his hand. "It's no big deal."

"Are you sure?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah," he said, but it was clear he was still in pain.

"I've never heard of scars hurting before," Sirius said truthfully. "How often does it do it?"

Harry swallowed nervously. "Well... usually when Voldemort is near."

Sirius blinked. "Oh."

"You... you don't think he could be here, could he?" Harry said in distress.

"No, definitely not," Sirius assured him, and he looked slightly less sick. "Go lay down if you have a headache."

"Okay," Harry said, looking surprised. He finished his donut and returned to the couch.

"Tonks is coming by later," Sirius informed him. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah," Harry's eyes lit up. Sirius smiled at him and came to sit on one of the armchairs. One of Harry's hands came to rest on his forehead and he breathed deeply. There was a tug in Sirius' chest.

"Are you sure you're all right?" he asked concernedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Harry said. They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, then a thought occurred to Sirius.

"Hey, do you think I would like that book you're always reading?" he asked.

Harry's face brightened. "Yeah, you would! I'm almost done with the first one, Hermione's sending me the second one. You should read it."

"I will," Sirius grinned.

Harry smiled back, then winced and his hand returned to his head. "Ouch."

"How long does this usually last?" Sirius asked.

"It depends," Harry said. "They usually come on really suddenly. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize," Sirius told him. There was another silence, this one slightly awkward, then he quietly said "I can tell Tonks not to come if you're ill."

"I don't think I'm ill," Harry said. "My head just hurts. She should come, I liked her."

Sirius smiled. "I thought you would. She likes you, too, she told me."

Harry looked like he was in pain when he smiled back.

Sirius hesitated. "Do you want a headache draught?"

"I don't really need one," Harry said slowly.

Sirius fixed him with a look. "Do you _want _one?"

"I guess," Harry said uncomfortably. "I mean, yeah. Please."

"I have all the ingredients to whip one up real quick," Sirius said, getting up. "I'll be right back."

"Okay," Harry mumbled as he walked away.

Sirius very quickly made the draught with the meager supply of ingredients he had in the kitchen. It only took a few minutes to brew, but he kept glancing behind him every few seconds even though his godson was concealed by the back of the couch. There was no sound coming from it, and he couldn't help but feel worried. When he returned ten minutes later, his eyes were closed and an arm was draped over his forehead.

"Harry," he said quietly.

The arm shifted and he smiled up and him. "Thanks Sirius," he said, taking the flask from him.

"No problem," he said. "Drink up, it does work."

He sat up and did so, making a face.

"It doesn't taste that great, though," Sirius bit back a laugh. "I'll tell Tonks not to come."

"You don't have to," Harry said, looking slightly alarmed. "Really, I'll be fine."

"All right," Sirius said resignedly.

* * *

Tonks didn't stay long, as she had to work late into the night that evening. As Harry understood it, she worked for the Ministry in some way. She muttered something her boss as she stumbled out of the fireplace and put a hand on Harry's shoulder to steady herself. "He keeps asking me to do two consecutive 48 hour shifts," she continued to Sirius, standing up straight. "I have a life, you know. It's not incredibly eventful, but it exists."

"Nice to see you too," he said, grinning. Tonks went on about something else about said job Harry didn't understand. The sharp pain of his scar had subsided a bit after he took the potion Sirius had made for him, but it still ached dully every now and then. It was just enough to distract him and take him away from the conversation.

He found his thoughts wandering to Dumbledore and the imminent meeting with him in just two days. A tornado of emotions swirled inside him whenever he thought about it. He definitely didn't want to return to the Dursleys; no more than they probably wanted him too; but there was still the nagging suspicion in the back of his mind that he shouldn't get his hopes up. He knew Dumbledore had his mind made up, as he had said when he first came to visit them on that first day. Harry felt sick to his stomach when he thought about going back, which didn't help his head. There was a sharp twinge in his scar and he absentmindedly raised a hand to rub it. As he lowered it he caught Sirius giving him a worried look. Harry looked away quickly and sat down on one of the armchairs, following Tonks' lead, and hugged his legs to his chest. He could feel Sirius' eyes on him and determinedly didn't look at him, although he wasn't sure why. Over the past few days he had found several of his original concerns returning, the things he had been worrying about before the summer began. Every now and then the thought that Sirius might not even want him after the first week crept into his mind. It was ridiculous, he knew that, but then Sirius would ask him something and give him a look and it would seem a more real possibility all of a sudden.

Tonks got up to do something, and they were left in silence. Harry's scar hurt again, but he refrained from wincing.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah," he answered. The pain was already subsiding, anyway. He still looked concerned, though. Harry pulled his legs closer to his chest. Tonks returned with a bag of chips and sat back down, not noticing his discomfort.

Sirius narrowed his eyes at her. "I don't recall telling you you could take our food."

"That's because you didn't," she replied amusedly. Her eyes landed on Harry. "Want some?"

"No thanks," Harry said. Sirius was giving him the look again. He suddenly felt miserable for no reason at all. His scar gave another painful twinge and he couldn't help but flinch. Thankfully, Sirius didn't say anything, but he kept glancing at him every now and then. After Tonks finally left, Harry tried to meet his eyes and panicked, instead mumbling something about his book and retreating to his room like a coward. Well that settled it. If Sirius didn't already think that he was too much trouble, he might as well just sealed the deal. He didn't know what was wrong with him all of a sudden. His head pounded painfully and he felt another moment of despair.

There was a knock on the door and Harry drew in a shaky breath. "Come in?"

"Harry?" Sirius' head peeked out from behind the door.

"Sorry," he said quietly. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

Sirius came in and closed the door behind him. "It's okay," he said gently. "Do you feel sick?"

"Not really," he said truthfully. "My head just hurts. My scar."

"That's very strange," Sirius said. "I've never heard of a scar hurting like that before. You said it doesn't happen often?"

"No," Harry said. Sirius frowned and came over to sit next to him on the bed.

"What's wrong?" he asked very quietly.

"Nothing," Harry whispered.

He frowned again. Harry twisted his hands in his lap and looked down, his chest tight.

"Hey," Sirius said gently. Harry looked up at him. "You look... miserable."

"Thanks," Harry said sarcastically and his spirits lifted slightly as Sirius smiled at him.

He lay down horizontally on the bed. Harry slowly followed suit and stared at the ceiling. "Tell me what's wrong," Sirius said.

Harry sighed. "I don't know," he said. "I think I'm just worried. Y'know, about...Dumbledore. Plus, my scar really hurts."

"I'm sorry," Sirius said. "And as for the Dumbledore thing, don't worry. I told you when you first got here, remember? I told you you were gonna stay. And I'm a man of my word, so you don't need to worry, okay?"

"Okay," Harry said, but he could still feel him staring at him.

"I'm going to make tea," he said abruptly, standing up. "I'll bring you some."

Harry sat up and crossed his legs. "Okay," he said in surprise. The sudden movements hurt his head and he rubbed at his scar.

Sirius looked at him worriedly. "Maybe it will help with that," he said.

"Yeah," Harry said. Sirius smiled and started to leave the room. "Thanks," Harry said quietly as he disappeared.

* * *

_A/N: Whew! Finally done with this. Not only was I sick for a few days this week, but I also went to Six Flags. I guess Sunday is officially my new updating day._

_I hope they're not too OOC, especially Harry. It took a long time to write him being anxious and stuff. Anyway, please review! xoxo_


	5. Chapter 5

Harry did practically nothing for the rest of the day, or the next day for that matter. He felt slightly better after his talk with Sirius, but his stomach still twisted into knots when he thought about the inescapable confrontation with Dumbledore. There was no doubt in his mind that he would want to send him back to the Dursleys, and he felt legitimately sick whenever he thought about it. He had a feeling Sirius was constantly thinking about it too, he seemed more distracted than usual and didn't talk as much. Harry tried reading, but none of the words sunk in and he found himself staring at the same page for several minutes. His anxious thoughts invaded his mind once again and he gave up, instead preferring to sit in his room or by the fire, curled up and trying not to think. Needlessly to say he failed miserably.

The evening before the day Dumbledore said he would come, Harry was sitting on the couch hugging his legs to his chest; a position he had become quite acquainted with recently; when Sirius came over and handed him a cup of tea.

"Thanks," he mumbled, warming his hands on the mug.

"You're welcome," Sirius said, sitting down on one of the armchairs. "You've hardly done anything all day."

"Sorry," Harry said before he could stop himself.

"You don't have to apologize," Sirius said gently. "It's okay, I was just gonna, y'know, say that... it'll be okay. You're perfectly safe here, even he can see that... and if he doesn't, I have my argument ready," he winked at him.

Harry smiled. "I know," he said, then continued to stare at the fire. He felt Sirius' eyes on him and looked up. "What?"

"Nothing," he said. "You just always look so tense."

Harry blinked. "Oh." He looked down at where his arms were tightly locked around his legs and loosened them slightly, letting his feet slide down and hit the floor. Sirius looked amused, and the mood lightened considerably. He was right; Dumbledore would see sense, he was the wisest person Harry knew. It would be fine. Dark thoughts crept on the edge of his mind but he pushed them away, instead grinning and sprawling himself on the couch. "How's this?"

"Better," Sirius grinned. "Careful, you'll spill your tea."

Harry sat back up, laughing. Suddenly a sharp pain shot through his forehead and he gasped, one of his hands flying to his scar.

"Harry?" came a shocked voice. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Harry said, drawing in sharp breaths.

"Are you sure?"

Harry didn't reply, but continued to rub his scar and tried not to look at him. Suddenly he felt fingers gently wrap around his wrist and pry his hand away from his face. He sucked in a deep breath. "Sorry," he whispered.

"It's all right," came Sirius' voice. Harry couldn't bring himself to look at him. "Don't apologize, remember?"

"Yeah," Harry said. His scar hurt again and he shut his eyes. The pain was almost blinding. He felt Sirius gently rubbing his wrist with his thumb and could practically sense the worry radiating off him. After a few moments the pain had subsided and he opened his eyes. "Sorry," he said again.

"I said it's all right," Sirius frowned. "I really want to know why it's doing that."

"I don't know," Harry said, rubbing at his scar and still not looking at him. There was another, less sharp, twinge and he gnawed at his lip in an effort not to make any noise. Sirius let go of his wrist and sat back in the chair, running a hand through his hair.

"I'll talk to Remus at some point to see if there's anything we can do..." he looked stressed and Harry felt guilty. "Did the tea help last night?" he asked.

"Yeah," Harry replied, taking a sip. The warmth spread pleasantly through his body and he drew his legs up to his chest again. He heard Sirius get up, then return not long after and sit down next to him on the couch.

"I'm making soup," he said. "That should help, right?"

The corners of Harry's mouth lifted slightly at his concern. "Probably. Thank you."

"It's not a problem," Sirius said. Harry took another sip of tea and smiled at him. The pain was almost completely gone now. Sirius still kept glancing at him, but he pretended not to notice. It made him feel guilty, as a lot of things involving Sirius seemed to do, but it also made warmth spread through him like the tea did.

* * *

The next morning, Harry woke up with his stomach in knots. He had fallen asleep relatively easily last night after having a bowl of soup and curling up in his bed, but he had a feeling his dreams hadn't been too happy, even if he couldn't remember them. He lay awake for a long time, clenching and unclenching his hands and trying to get his thoughts in order. He remembered Sirius telling him that he would stay no matter what and sighed. _It'll be fine_. He told himself as he pushed the covers off. He opened his large wardrobe, which had been all but bare until a few days ago, when Sirius had bought him a bunch of wizard clothing. He hadn't worn any of it yet, as he didn't really have a reason, but he suddenly realized that this may be his last chance, as the Dursleys would never let him keep any of it. He sort of felt like he should wear something, just for that, but the same reason also made him shut the wardrobe and decide to go downstairs in his pajamas.

When he arrived in the kitchen, he heard Sirius' voice coming from the sitting room. He seemed to be talking to himself, until he heard Lupin's voice respond and he assumed they were talking in the fireplace. There was a plate of eggs ands toast on the counter, kept hot by magic. Sirius seemed to have remembered he liked ketchup with his eggs, as the bottle was sitting next to it. Harry quickly poured himself a glass of milk, trying to be as quiet as possible. After getting the necessary amount of ketchup, he turned around and saw that Lupin wasn't actually in the fire, but rather sitting on the couch beside Sirius. They didn't seem to have noticed he was up, and continued talking in low voices to one another. Harry put the ketchup away and Lupin finally realized he was there.

"Harry!" he said, smiling. Sirius whirled around and grinned, though it lacked some of its usual warmth.

"Hey," Harry said as he retrieved a fork and came to sit in one of the armchairs.

"How do you feel? Pads was saying your scar was hurting," Lupin said.

"Yeah, it was," Harry shrugged. "It doesn't anymore though."

"Tea seems to help more than the headache draughts," Sirius said anxiously. "What do you suppose that means?"

"Hell if I know," he said. "But curse scars are tricky things. They're all different depending on what spell caused it, and even then every case is unique."

"He said it usually only hurts when Voldemort is near," Sirius continued. "Does that mean anything?"

"Possibly," Lupin said thoughtfully.

Sirius didn't look pleased. "You don't think this has anything to do with the creepy pies, does it?"

"I don't see how it could," Lupin raised an eyebrow at him. "Unless you're suggesting that _Voldemort_ is breaking into your house to leave you pies."

"Never mind," he said hastily. "But it obviously has something to do with Voldemort; I mean, he gave him the scar and makes it hurt, it _must_ be him!"

"Or it could be something entirely different," Lupin said. "I mean, Harry's been under a lot of stress lately with this meeting with Dumbledore and all; that could have something to do with it. And its unwise to jump to conclusions about something that's so rare it's hardly been studied."

"I suppose," Sirius said, unappeased.

They fell into silence. Harry wasn't entirely unfamiliar with having people talk about him like he wasn't there; it was a favorite pastime of Dudley's; but this was different. Sirius' face was a picture of anxiety and nerves, and Harry wondered if it was because of his scar or Dumbledore's impending visit. He suddenly realized that the headmaster hadn't said what time he would show up, and wondering if he should go get dressed just in case. He told his limbs to move and go his bedroom, but they didn't listen and he remained on the armchair, eating his breakfast as Sirius and Lupin gradually picked up the conversation again, this time steering away from troubling topics. When he was finished, Harry found himself dozing off as he nestled comfortably in his chair. It was almost easy to imagine that today was just like any other day and this new life he had found wasn't all about to be taken away.

He felt pleasantly tired- perhaps he hadn't gotten as much sleep as he thought he had- and let his eyes droop closed for just a second before opening them again. His thoughts were wandering to the Tonks and how it was so strange they were related to the Malfoys when he registered someone saying his name. He looked up to see Sirius and Lupin looking expectantly at him.

"Sorry?" he asked, only slightly embarrassed.

"Padfoot says you don't believe you're top of your class in Defense Against the Dark Arts," Lupin said, amused.

"Oh, yeah," Harry recallled. "I can't be."

"Sure you are," Lupin said. "You got the best grade of your class on final exam."

"I even beat Hermione?" Harry asked in astonishment.

Lupin nodded. "You were there when she took it. You did the best out of all of them."

Harry couldn't help but feel pleased, even if it was hard to believe. Sirius grinned at him.

"What do you want to do when you get older?" Lupin asked, and Harry realized he had been watching his reaction.

"I... don't know any of the options," he said truthfully. "I've got no idea."

Lupin chuckled. "That's not a surprise; I spoke to several of the seventh years at the end of the term and most of them had no clue either. But you've got a long time until you should start worrying about that."

Harry smiled. "Percy Weasley wants to be the Minister of Magic."

"He does seem like that type," Sirius laughed. "How does he plan to do that?"

"I'm not sure," Harry said. "Ron said he got a job working for some bloke there."

"Well it'll have to be an important bloke if he wants to get far," Sirius said.

Harry thought for a moment. "What did _you_ do? Before, I mean."

"The war," Sirius said. "I had enough money to get by, even after being disowned, and we didn't have to worry about food anyway 'cos we always ate at your parent's house. Lily was a good cook."

Harry smiled at the thought. He always thought he was a good cook, too; he had lots of practice with the Dursleys. He felt that wasn't something Sirius would like to hear, though, so he kept it to himself. He and Lupin started talking again, and after several minutes Harry found himself drifting off again. The furniture in the house was incredibly comfortable. He rested his head on the arm of the chair and meant to close his eyes for only a second, but it didn't go as planned. When he woke up he almost didn't register that he had been asleep; the only indication was Sirius and Lupin were standing in the kitchen instead of sitting on the couch. It didn't seem like too much time had passed. Harry sat up and yawned, planning to ask them how long he had been out when he saw their expressions. The loud knock on the door moments later told him why.

"Is Dumbledore here?" he asked. The two of them jumped.

"It would seem so," Sirius said. He looked as sick as Harry felt.

"I'll be going, then," Lupin said quietly. "Bye, Harry."

"Bye," he said. Sirius made an arm motion in his direction that signaled he knew he was leaving, staring at the door. As Lupin disappeared in the fireplace, he took a deep breath and went over to open it. Harry scrambled up, wondering if it was a bad thing he was still in his pajamas.

"Ah, Sirius!" Dumbledore said cheerfully once the door was open. He didn't ask what had taken so long, instead gazing around room until he located Harry and smiled at him.

"Hello," Sirius said stiffly.

Dumbledore stepped inside. A million scenarios were running through Harry's mind. The Dursleys wouldn't let him send any letters now, that was for sure, so he wouldn't hear from his godfather until the school year started, if they allowed him to go. He remembered two years ago, when Ron and the twins had to rescue him in their dad's flying car. The car was gone now, though, and he was sure the Dursleys wouldn't make the same mistake twice anyhow.

"Should we get right down to it, then?" Dumbledore said pleasantly.

"Fine," Sirius said in the same tone as before. "You know what I think."

"I do. I think we should speak privately," the headmaster said.

Sirius didn't seem too happy about that, and neither was Harry; it was him they were discussing after all. But he just sighed and said "Fine," leading him into the dining room.

Harry stood uneasily for a few seconds, then sat back down in his chair, twisting his hands in his lap. His heart was pounding furiously. He almost unconsciously hugged his legs to his body and rested his chin on his knees, worrying on his lower lip. Now that the time had finally come he was full of mixed emotions. Maybe it would be easier to just be sent back. He knew how to handle the Dursleys, and it wasn't like they would never see each other again... but at the same time, the thought of returning to how things were terrified him. Sirius suddenly shouted something in the other room, startling him. Maybe if Sirius showed up on September first and demanded to take him to King 's Cross they would be too afraid to say no. He should tell him to do that. Just then the nagging feeling in the back of his mind returned, and he suddenly realized that Sirius might think he was too much trouble and not want to keep him anyway. That would be a bit ridiculous, seeing as he had already adopted him, but the feeling still lingered.

Finally the low voices coming from the dining room stopped, as well as Harry's heart for a few seconds, and Dumbledore appeared. He smiled at him, but gave no inclination as to what had been decided. A few moments past, then Sirius also appeared. Harry opened his mouth to ask what had happened, but he beat him to it.

"You're staying," Sirius said in a strained voice.

Harry let out a breath he isn't know he had been holding. "Really?"

Sirius nodded. Harry looked to Dumbledore, whose expression gave nothing away. Harry recalled how he had felt when Sirius won his case. He was feeling almost dizzy now, just as he had then.

"I'll leave it to you to explain the details," Dumbledore said. "Have a good summer, Harry."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry said breathlessly.

Dumbledore lifted a hand in farewell, then showed himself out. Harry turned to Sirius, who hadn't moved an inch. He still looked almost... angry. Harry's mind suddenly filled with doubts.

"What is it?" he asked in a small voice.

Sirius looked at him and his expression softened. "Its all right. I'm just very frustrated with your headmaster," he said bitterly.

"What happened? What do you have to explain?" he asked, still wary.

Sirius sighed and plopped down on the couch. "Dumbledore didn't even mind you staying here. He just wanted to make sure it was safe."

Harry blinked confusedly. "What?"

"He said he came the first time knowing he was going to give us a week to prove it was safe. He had full intentions on letting you stay."

"But... why didn't he just tell us that?" Harry asked in horror. "And what about the Dursleys?"

"He told the Dursleys they were famous for raising you so if by any chance a wizard would ask them if they still had you, they would say yes," Sirius said hollowly. "There's only a remote possibility that they would have any contact with the Wizarding World, but I suppose just in case..." he said, but it didn't look like he approved. "And as for the telling us part, he wanted us to do everything possible in order to impress him, not just wait out the week."

Harry could tell now why he looked angry. He wasn't sure what to say.

"He was worried, though, that the blood bond might not be broken yet," Sirius said. "If you thought you might be going back you might still consider the Dursleys' place your home."

Harry wasn't sure where his home was anymore. Ever since he started at Hogwarts, he had always thought of it as more of a home than Privet Drive ever was. "Would I be able to tell?" he asked. "I don't feel any different."

"According to Dumbledore, no," he said. "We'll just have to guess."

Harry looked down, studying his feet and relishing how it felt to know that this was where he would live forever now. Well, not forever, but still. It was a nice feeling; almost too carefree. He could practically feel his mind searching for something to worry about. He looked up again and found it; Sirius had been watching him.

"You _do _want to stay, don't you?" he asked cautiously.

"Of course I do," Harry said in slight confusion.

"Okay, good," Sirius said slowly. "It's just... you don't look happy."

"I am!" Harry insisted. "You don't look too happy either."

"I am, too," Sirius said in amusement. "I guess we're both bad at being happy."

Harry thought about that for a second and realized it was true. "I guess you're right."

Sirius grinned at him. "Remus will want to know how it went. Maybe we could go have lunch?"

"That sounds fun," Harry said eagerly.

"Better get dressed, then. As far as I know most restaurants don't serve people in pajamas."

* * *

All in all, it was a good day. He felt a little resentment toward Dumbledore when he thought about what he had put him and Harry through, but that didn't matter now. He was staying, and Sirius had never been happier. Well, he might have been when he was declared innocent, but that didn't really count. By the time they got back home that night after visiting practically everyone they knew, he was feeling very content. Harry looked it, too, even if it was only when he thought he wasn't looking. Sirius caught him watching him and Remus talk during lunch with a dazed smile on his face, but it vanished immediately when he realized he saw. Sirius wasn't sure what he had been expecting. All the nervousness to suddenly disappear? For him to be able to speak without being spoken to and not look cautious? He supposed all of their problems didn't stem from Dumbledore, or even Voldemort for that matter.

Harry did seem pleased to see Ron, though, and when he told him why they were there, he grinned widely and wrapped him in a hug while Molly squealed and insisted they stay for dinner. It wasn't that late, but it was their last stop, and Sirius knew it would be good for Harry to be with his friends. He glanced over at Harry and Ron, who were no longer hugging but laughing together at something one of the twins had said. He felt a slight twinge of envy, which be instantly suppressed. That wouldn't be fair. He knew Ron had to be one of his very first friends since his relatives were so horrible.

Molly was an excellent cook, and Harry seemed very at home there at the Burrow. The Weasley family was very large, and Sirius was informed that the two oldest kids weren't even there.

"How many times have you been here?" he asked Harry, who was seated in between him and Ron.

"Just once, but I stayed a few weeks," he said absentmindedly.

"A few weeks? Why that long?"

"It was until the end of the summer," he shrugged, unconcerned. "Ron and Fred and George rescued me from the Dursleys."

It was the "rescued" part that made his heart constrict. "How?"

Harry exchanged a look with Ron, who had been listening to them. "Well... their dad had a flying car that they stole."

"We didn't steal it!" Ron huffed indignantly. "It was our dad's. And it was a Ford Anglia," he added. "We flew it right up to his bedroom window in the middle of the night. Those arseholes didn't even know what hit them."

"Ronald!" exclaimed his mother from across the table.

"Sorry," he mumbled resignedly, not looking very apologetic. He waited until Molly stopped glaring at him and returned to her food to continue in an undertone, "I'll never forget the look on the great git's face."

Harry snorted, seeming pleased with by the memory. Sirius wasn't sure what to say.

"They didn't come looking for you?" he finally decided on.

"No," Harry said. "They were mad I escaped, though."

Sirius was rather taken aback at that. "_What were you to them, an animal?"_ he wanted to say, but he was too late, and Harry and Ron were already absolved in another conversation.

When all the food had been either eaten or put away, the group slowly started to fade; Arthur returned to work to finish up a project, as he put it, Percy retreated to his room to do some "extremely important" work for his boss Ministry, and the rest of the kids were gathered around one end of the table in what appeared to be a heated discussion about Quidditch. Molly was cleaning up after everyone, occasionally saying something to Sirius. He was perfectly happy to stay there as Harry wanted, but he was starting to feel a bit bored. He snuck glances at the kids every now and then, watching Harry as he smiled and laughed. He seemed so carefree. Sometimes he looked like that when he was reading in the sitting room, and Sirius recalled when they had gone down to the lake and he had been so happy. He hadn't looked like that in a while though, which Sirius attributed to Dumbledore and the mysterious pies, and, of course, his scar. Speaking of which...

Sirius glanced over at the throng of kids again, and saw Harry had a hand on his forehead, his head hanging low. It took a few seconds for Sirius to process what that meant, but when he did, there was the familiar tug in his chest. He watched as Fred (or was it George?) frowned and tapped him on the shoulder. He removed his hand from his face and said something to him, catching Ron's attention. Sirius decided to take action and made his way through the maze of chairs that people hadn't pushed in over to them. Harry didn't seem to notice he was approaching until he was standing right next to him.

"Something wrong?" Sirius asked. Harry looked up at him and he saw a brief moment of relief flicker over his face, but it was gone quick enough.

"My head hurts a little," he mumbled, now looking down.

"Doesn't that only happen when You Know Who is here?" Ron said nervously.

"I thought so," Harry muttered to his shoes. "But it's been happening a lot lately."

Ron didn't look pleased at that. Fred and George didn't seem to know what was going on, and Sirius supposed Ginny didn't either, but it was hard to tell because she never talked. Harry suddenly flinched and his hand flew back to his scar.

"Do you want to go home?" Sirius asked after a moment's hesitation. Harry looked back up, his expression answer enough. "Okay, I'll go tell Molly. I'll be right back, okay?"

Harry nodded, and he quickly navigated his way over Molly, who had begun wiping down the other end of the table. She saw him coming and smiled. "Time to head out?"

"I think so," Sirius said. "Thanks for having us. It's good for Harry to be around other people, y'know."

"Of course, dear; come around any time," she said cheerfully. "Have a good night."

"You too," Sirius said, and returned to Harry as fast as he could. His godson was sitting staring off into space while the Weasleys chattered on. Ron seemed distracted and jumped a little when he saw Sirius was coming back over.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah," Harry said in a strained voice and started to get up.

"You better figure out how to fix that scar," Ron said.

"We will," Sirius said, watching Harry carefully in case he toppled over. He was breathing heavily and didn't seem to notice Ron had spoken. Sirius gripped his upper arm and guided him closer to him. He glanced over at Molly, who was oblivious to what was happening. "We'll see you later, okay?"

"Right," Ron said. The others chimed in as well.

"Bye, guys," Harry said distantly. Sirius led him out of the house and into the cool evening air, which seemed to help. He took a deep breath. Sirius knew the stuffy atmosphere of the kitchen couldn't have been helping much. He let go of his shoulder and instead threaded their arms together and Disapparated.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Hello everyone! I can't believe I forgot to leave an author's note last time! Oh well. Thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites, and please enjoy the story!_

* * *

There was the usual unbearable pressure that came with Apparating, the uncomfortable sensation of being squeezed through a very tight tube. It was never very pleasant, but this time it seemed to Harry it was magnified a thousand times. When they finally emerged into the fresh air, he was tasting bile in the back of his throat and clutched Sirius' arm so he didn't fall.

"All right?" he heard Sirius ask.

"Uh huh," Harry said vacantly. "I think I might vomit, though."

"If you need to," he said worriedly. Harry nodded with his eyes closed and stood still until the feeling passed. His head was pounding furiously and still felt a bit nauseous, but it wasn't as bad. He took a deep breath and for a moment attempted to disentangle his arm from Sirius', but he kept a firm grip on him and he gave up.

"Let's get inside and I'll make some tea," Sirius said.

"Okay," Harry replied and allowed him to guide him up the pavement to the front door. He almost couldn't see because of the pain. Once inside, Sirius waved his wand and the room was filled with light from the fireplace.

"Maybe Flooing would have been a better idea," he said fretfully as he helped him over to the couch. Harry thought for a second of the disorienting swirl of colors and sound that accompanied traveling by Floo powder and his head pounded horribly. He closed his eyes again and leaned back before saying, "I don't know, it's sounds worse."

"Does it?" Sirius said in a worried tone. His hand disappeared from his shoulder and soon there was noise coming from the kitchen. Harry opened his eyes slightly and turned to the window on the right wall that looked into the forest. He could see distant movements in the trees as animals, or maybe just the wind, rustled the branches. The scene was very peaceful and the couch very soft. The view combined with the comforting sounds of Sirius making tea in the other room slowly reduced the pain in his scar until he was feeling rather sleepy. Just as his eyes started to close of their own accord, a sharp twinge shot through his forehead and he jumped, clawing at his scar. Sirius suddenly appeared at his side.

"Sorry," Harry whispered.

"For what?" Sirius asked, handing him a mug.

"For making you leave," he said anxiously as he accepted it, worrying on his lower lip.

Sirius sat down next to him. "You didn't make me leave, Harry," he frowned. Another sharp pain shot through his head and he set the cup down on the coffee table, burying his face in his hands. There was a moment's silence, then: "Does it hurt like a normal headache, or actual pain, like if you were cut?"

"A bit of both, I guess," Harry said, his voice muffled slightly. "But I think mostly the second one."

"Mmm."

"They're getting worse," Harry said to his hands. "This is the worst one."

"I'm sorry," Sirius said quietly. Harry almost told him it wasn't his fault, then realized the irony in that. There was another silence. Harry knew he should drink his tea, or at the very least tell him thank you for making it, but his brain was all fuzzy. He took several deep breaths and prepared to look up, but it didn't happen. Sirius was probably upset because he wouldn't look at him, he knew. He chewed on his lip and tried not to focus on the terrible pain in his head. He heard a deep sigh from next to him and the nerves in his stomach tightened until he couldn't breathe. The pain was unbearable. He tried to suck in a deep breath and it caught in his throat. He suddenly realized what was happening. He bit his lip as hard as he could until he tasted blood, but that only made it worse. He felt the burning sensation behind his eyes and willed it away. _No no no no no nonononono..._

"Harry?" Sirius sounded surprised more than anything.

"I'm fine," he managed thickly.

"You don't sound fine," he said. Harry couldn't hold his breath any longer, but the exhale was too shaky to be normal. He didn't even know why he was doing this; he had just been sitting in the Weasleys' kitchen when he felt the first sharp twinge and the stab of sadness that accompanied it. He suddenly felt something touch him and started to recoil until he realized it was Sirius' hand starting to rub gentle circles onto his back. He took a another breath and this one didn't catch as much.

"What's wrong?" he heard a quiet voice ask.

"It just hurts," Harry said. He tried to think of something else normal to say, but nothing came to mind.

"Did I do something?"

Harry lifted his head from his hands and stared at him. Sirius' face was contorted as if he was in pain himself and he looked afraid to hear the answer. "No," Harry said confusedly.

"Okay," he said, continuing to rub his back. "I thought you were having a good time," he frowned.

"I was," Harry insisted. "It's just my stupid scar," he scratched at it angrily. He remembered his tea and picked it up. It was still warm, so he took a sip and felt the usual warmth flood his body. As he greedily drank more, Sirius started to rub up and down his spine, which felt quite nice. After a few moments he realized he was arching his back and Sirius was grinning widely at him.

"Are you a cat?" he chuckled. Harry crossed his arms and huffed at him. "Does it hurt anymore?" he asked, obviously holding back a laugh.

"Not really," Harry realized, lifting a hand to his scar. "That was weird. Like, it came on really suddenly and then went away."

"I don't have a clue," Sirius said. He glanced at the large clock above the mantelpiece. "It isn't really that late, but if you want to go to bed..."

"Okay," Harry said, suddenly feeling very tired. He tried to hold back a yawn and failed, causing Sirius to smile at him.

"Get some sleep," he said. "I'll be up in a few minutes."

"Okay," Harry said again, standing up. "G'night."

* * *

"Will you come over tomorrow?" Sirius asked. "Andy and Tonks are coming.

"If you want me to," Remus said as he threaded their fingers together. "I _will not_ swim, though."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'll push you in."

Remus frowned. "I'll ask Harry to look after me. He won't let you."

"If he even gets up tomorrow," Sirius said. "I think the scar thing tires him out."

"I'll bet it does," he said. "We'll figure something out, Pads," he said when he saw the expression on his face.

"I know," Sirius huffed, leaning into him. "It's just... I'm worried about him. I don't like seeing him hurt."

"Of course you don't," Remus said exasperatedly. "You don't have to explain it to me. It's natural for you to be worried."

Sirius was silent. He looked down at where their hands were entwined and felt a twinge of guilt. He knew he should tell Harry about their relationship, but it just never seemed the right time.

"Does he know that you tell me everything about his life?" Remus asked in amusement.

"I think he knows without me telling him," Sirius said, grinning. He thought for a moment, then said, "I think he's getting better about talking to me. He seems happiest with the Weasleys."

"That's to be expected. He knows them. He'll get to know you soon enough," Remus said. "Stop worrying. I've never known you to be this serious about anything, ironically." He grinned. Sirius narrowed his eyes and tore his hand away. "Oh, come on," Remus said, laughing. "I don't recall you doing anything other than laugh when we got caught breaking the rules at school."

"That was different," Sirius mumbled. He stared into the flickering flames in the fireplace and finally said, "What am I going to do when he goes off to Hogwarts?"

"That's a long ways away, Sirius," Remus said. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't know," he sighed. "Its just... I'm not going to have anything to do when he's gone. I don't even have a job."

"You could get one."

"But I dont need one! What's the point of working if you don't have to?"

"You're an idiot," Remus said affectionately. "Besides, you're still going to have me."

"That's something I guess," Sirius mumbled. Remus rolled his eyes.

The next morning, Sirius woke up before Harry, as he had expected. The usual pie was waiting for him on the counter, which he angrily shrunk with his wand and placed in the cupboard with the others. It was starting to get out of hand and Sirius thought, not for the first time, if he should stay up and see who (or what) was bringing them. It sounded like an easy solution, but he wasn't sure what the person would do when they realized they had been discovered. His worst fear was that they would somehow hurt Harry. Last night he had placed some protective spells around his bedroom while he was sleeping just in case the impostor fancied a trip upstairs.

There was a loud tapping noise and Sirius turned to see a disgruntled owl waiting on the other side of the window. He quickly opened it and placed a Knut in the pouch on it's leg before untying the _Daily Prophet _from the other. Not interested in reading it at the moment, he set it on the counter and yawned widely, looking for something to eat.

When Harry finally descended the stairs into the kitchen it was pretty late in the morning. Sirius was laying by the fireplace as Padfoot as he liked to do sometimes. His thoughts as a dog were always much simpler and he could usually forget whatever was troubling him soon after transforming. The fire had been particularly intriguing, and the heat was very soothing. When he heard light footsteps in the kitchen he leaped up and hurried to his godson, tail wagging and tongue hanging out. Harry smiled when he saw him and reached down to scratch behind his ears. He was wearing an old black hoodie and the usual baggy jeans, his hair standing on end and slightly wet as if he had just gotten out of the shower. Sirius automatically licked his hand in affection and he grimaced, wiping it on his hoodie.

"Ew, Sirius," he said. "Imagine doing that as a human."

Sirius just barked and Harry continued to rub behind his ears, rolling his eyes. "I'm hungry."

Sirius immediately transformed back. "We have cereal and bread for toast; and some yogurt, too, I think," he said quickly. "I can get some donuts from the Leaky Cauldron if they have them, and you want some of course-" He stopped when he saw the look on Harry's face. "Sorry. I'll calm down."

Harry snorted. "Where's the bread?"

"Here," Sirius said, opening the bread drawer.

"Ooh," Harry said happily. "I love raisin bread. Where's the toaster?"

"Here," Sirius grinned, pulling it out from underneath the cupboards. Harry placed his bread in the top and frowned.

"How do I..." he trailed off, blushing slightly.

"Hmm?" Sirius said, looking over his shoulder.

"How do you work this thing?" he said in confusion.

"Just press the big button," he said, demonstrating.

Harry blinked. "Muggle ones are different," he confessed.

"I can tell," Sirius said, smiling.

"Sorry," Harry mumbled.

"Its all right," he said. He watched as he examined the perfectly normal toaster with a comical amount of curiosity and couldn't help but grin involuntarily. Harry had a strange way of making everything adorable... but if he ever told him that he would ask Remus to kill him. The toaster dinged and the toast popped out of the top. Harry seemed surprised.

"That was fast," he commented as he took it out and retrieved a plate. He seemed to know his way around the kitchen better than Sirius expected, getting a knife and the butter as well, then turning around and leaning against the counter as he ate. He smiled when he saw he was watching him. "It's good," he said, smiling. Sirius stored in the back of his mind that Harry really liked raisin bread.

"We haven't used the pool yet," Sirius said after a little bit.

"No... I almost forgot about the pool," Harry said.

"I asked Tonks if she wanted to come over to swim when we were at there yesterday, if that's okay," Sirius said. "Andromeda will probably come too."

"Okay," Harry said uncomfortably.

"Only if you want to," he said reassuringly. "They really like you; it'll be fun."

"Okay," he said, sounding more confident now. "There's only one problem; I don't have swimming trunks."

Sirius sighed in mock exasperation. "I should have known. Don't worry, I'll put a Water-Resistant Charm on some regular shorts and it'll be fine."

Harry smiled blindingly at him. "Thanks."

"It's not a problem," Sirius said. Harry took his last bite of toast and put his plate in the sink.

"What's this?" he asked, pointing at the day's copy of the _Daily Prophet_.

"Wizarding newspaper," he said, coming to stand closer to him. "Have you never heard of it before?"

"No, I have," he frowned. "But look!" He pointed to one of the lower headlines, which read _"Hogwarts Professor: A Dangerous Werewolf?"_

Sirius snatched the paper up as fast as he could and flipped to the next page, where the article was written and signed at the bottom by someone named Rita Skeeter. He didn't need to read anymore than a few sentences to know what had happened. Harry was watching him with wide, worried eyes. He silently handed it to him and stared at the floor. There was an odd ringing in his ears. Suddenly he was filled with anger from head to toe. What _the hell_ was wrong with Snivellus? Why would he feel the need to destroy one of the only things that Remus had secured in his life? He knew Remus would likely have read the article by now, and that maybe he should go see him, but he didn't want to leave Harry by himself for too long. _  
_

"'An insider at the school...'" Harry said, pointing at the line in the article. "Who would have told? Hardly anyone knows."

"It was Snape," Sirius said angrily. "He's the only one that knows."

"Why would he do that?" Harry asked in horror.

"I'm not sure," he said, struggling to keep his rage in as not to scare him. "Maybe because he's a prick."

"Well... maybe it will be okay," Harry said hopefully. "I mean, what are they going to do to him? He can't help it."

Sirius couldn't help but stare at him. Sometimes he forgot Harry didn't hadn't lived in the Wizarding World except for Hogwarts until very recently. "He's a werewolf. It doesn't matter that it isn't his fault, people will hate him anyway."

"That's terrible," Harry said with wide eyes.

"It is," Sirius said bitterly. "It's wrong." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Do you want to go see him?" he asked.

"We'll see him this afternoon when he comes over," Sirius said resignedly.

"How many people did you invite?" Harry asked, the corners of his mouth quirking up slightly.

"Just them," Sirius said. "I don't know a whole lot of people."

Harry gave him an actual smile.

* * *

When the Tonks arrived, Sirius was in the sitting room trying to read the _Daily Prophet _and failing; his thoughts drifting to Remus. He forced himself not to read any more of the article; as it would only make him angrier; but he kept dwelling on the small portion that he had read. "_dangerous half-breed... not suitable to be around children... how could Dumbledore have made such a horrific mistake?_" His thoughts turned to Snape and he was filled with rage. Did he do it out of pure spite? Was he perhaps angry that Pettigrew was imprisoned? He didn't know why Dumbledore would hire a Death Eater, particularly while Harry was at school. It was like asking for trouble.

Tonks stumbled out of the fire as bubbly as ever, her hair a bright blue today instead of one of her usual pink or purple shades. Andromeda was wearing a set of heavy plum robes despite the warm weather and came over to hug him when she stepped out of the emerald flames.

"Have you spoken to Remus?" she asked him as she pulled back.

"Not yet," he said quietly. "He should be coming."

"He might not," she said seriously. "You know he likes to avoid people when things like this happen."

"If he doesn't come, I'll go talk to him," Sirius said wearily. "I'll get Harry."

"You didn't even ask me about my new hair," Tonks huffed under her breath as he walked away.

Harry had retreated upstairs after breakfast, very upset about what the _Daily Prophet _had said. Sirius had wondered what he had been doing; surely his book wasn't _that_ interesting; but not curious enough to go look. He went to his bedroom and knocked lightly on the door, but there was no answer. Maybe he was asleep. Sirius opened the door as quietly as he could and peered inside, but there was no one there. The bed was made and Harry's book was laying facedown on the floor next to it, opened to the page he was on, but Harry himself was no where to be found. Sirius suppressed the irrational panic that rose up inside him at this and decided to check the study. Sure enough, he was there on the balcony, sitting with his legs dangling over the side, forehead pressed against the top of the railing.

"Careful you don't fall off," Sirius called from the doorway.

Harry's head whirled around and he smiled at him. "I won't," he promised.

"Tonks and Andy are here," he said. "Want to swim yet?"

"Yes!" he said excitedly, starting to get up.

"Go downstairs, I'll get some shorts to charm for you," Sirius said, trying not to laugh.

"Okay, thanks," he said, closing the doors in front of the balcony. "Is it okay I was here? I was curious about some of the stuff you had in here and then I saw how it looked outside-"

"It's fine," Sirius assured him. Harry grinned and darted past him once the doors were closed. Sirius pulled the door shut behind them.

* * *

At the deepest part of the pool, Harry could touch the bottom with his toes, but most of his head was underwater. He tested to see how long he could tread the water there, then swam back over to the shallow end. When he was younger, the Dursleys loved to take Dudley out to the pool for swimming lessons or to see his friends, but the only times Harry could recall swimming was when they had a kiddie pool in the backyard and the time the third graders had an end of the school year party at the pool for the kids. Harry had known that they had only taken him because if Dudley came and he didn't, people would wonder where he was, but it had still been fun. So no, he was not a good swimmer. But it still felt nice to be in the water, and he definitely didn't want Sirius to think he didn't appreciate all of the luxuries the house had. And this pool definitely was a luxury. It was fairly large as pools go, enclosed in screen walls as an extension of the house.

Sirius had told him distantly that he didn't plan on swimming and taken a seat on the couch, so Tonks was the only other person in the pool with him. Harry suspected his godfather was worried about Lupin, but he had decided not to ask.

"Your hair's a different color," Harry observed when she popped up out of the water.

"Thank you for noticing!" she exclaimed, with an eye-roll in Sirius' direction. "It's blue for the water, see?"

"Cool," Harry grinned. She laughed and then shook her head violently. Harry was confused for a moment, then his jaw dropped open when he saw her hair growing longer and paler until it was blonde.

"How did you do that!?" he asked in amazement.

"Sirius didn't tell you? I'm a Metamorphmagus," she said, grinning widely. "I can change my appearance at will."

"Really?" he asked, fascinated. "How do you become one?"

"You're born with it," she shrugged. "Unfortunately you can't just make yourself into one, though people have tried, of course."

"Oh," Harry said in disappointment.

"Wouldn't mind hiding that scar of yours, I'm guessing?" she asked knowingly.

"Yeah," he said grudgingly. Tonks smiled and shook her head again, her hair shrinking and turning back to blue.

"Its not as great as everyone makes it out to be," she said. "Usually I only change my hair. And my nose. It looks awful when it's normal."

Harry snorted and dove back under the water, Tonka soon following suit. When he resurfaced, he was close enough to the window to see inside the sitting room, where Sirius and Andromeda were sitting. Sirius looked anxious and was wringing his hands in his lap. Andromeda was facing away from him, but she seemed to be speaking. Tonks appeared and followed his line of sight.

"Will Professor Lupin be okay?" he asked.

"He should be," she said, but looked slightly worried. "But he won't be happy."

As Harry continued to stare in their direction until Sirius saw him and gave him a tight smile. He looked away quickly and submerged himself in the water again.

When they returned inside, soaking wet and shivering, Lupin was with the others in sitting room, but he didn't look too pleased about it. Harry had almost forgotten about his predicament when Tonks had started chasing him around the pool, picking him up and throwing him into the water.

"Wotcher," Tonks said, plopping down into one of the armchairs. Harry gingerly sat down on the couch next to Sirius, afraid of getting it wet, but he didn't seem to mind. He noticed that his arm jumped away from Lupin as he did so, and looked at him curiously.

"Did you have fun?" Sirius asked quickly.

"Yeah," Harry said, wrapping his towel more firmly around himself.

"I'm hungry," Tonks declared. "Please tell me you made something."

"I'm not your mom," Sirius said, annoyed. "No offense to you, Andy."

"We could go out," Andromeda said, unperturbed. "If you're really that hungry."

"I should leave, then," Lupin said quickly.

"No, stay," Tonks said eagerly. "It'll help you forget about the- you know..."

"I don't think food will help me forget," Lupin said stiffly. "I was already forced into coming here."

"You had already said you'd come," Sirius said dismissively. "And we didn't even do anything."

"He's right," Tonks said. "I was looking forward to having a large black dog jumping in at some point."

Lupin sighed. "If you insist," he said gruffly.

* * *

_A/N: There you are! I cherish all my reviews. ;)_


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